


Dangerous Choices

by Aebi12



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Normal High School, Angst, Angst and Drama, Danger, Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Forbidden Love, Gangs, Gryffindor, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Slytherin, Threats of Violence, Underage Substance Use, new life, teen drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:34:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 52,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27503890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aebi12/pseuds/Aebi12
Summary: Rose Weasley's new life will be tangled in old rivalry between two gang groups, especially once she meet Scorpius Malfoy. With her safety been threatened, what would she choose? Love or her own security?
Relationships: Scorpius Malfoy/Rose Weasley
Comments: 10
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to my new story "Dangerous Choices"
> 
> As my previous work, this is also an AU, but unlike my previous story this is -in some ways- a bit lighter. This story is also finished, I'm just translating it to English, since my mother tongue is spanish (so I really sorry for any mistake)
> 
> Before we start:
> 
> *There is no magic in this story. They're regular teenagers.  
> *The only Weasley brothers's children featuring here are Ron and Ginny's.  
> *For plot motives, Hugo is a little boy here while Rose is a teenager; and they have an older sister.  
> *Chapters are rather short.
> 
> So I hope you're still interest in reading this story and you can give it a chance. The rhythm is a bit slow at first but the story gets better after that  
> Hopefully you'll enjoy this work :) 
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Just this fanfiction.

****

**  
CHAPTER ONE**

**ROSE**

The taxi sped down a particularly narrow street, and Rose had to hold onto the seat to keep from jumping up and hitting her head. Beside her, Hugo chuckled, visibly buoyed by the speed and Hope, her older sister, shot her a pleading look clearly sensing her enraged reaction.

“Could you slow down a little bit, please?” Hope hastened to say

The man muttered something that sounded like an affirmation and turned carefully toward a street lined with shops.

She had heard of this part of the city but had never really been there. Rose knew, however, that it was the industrial zone and that its citizens, who mostly worked shifts in factories and manufacturing complexes, were poor, fond of drink and gambling; basically criminals.

" _And now you're one of them"_ murmured a hideous little voice inside of her head.

A lump formed in her throat so she looked away from the ramshackle buildings to her siblings. Hugo was hugging Hope and looking at everything with open curiosity, totally oblivious to the new life that awaited them. Rose would have liked to have a bit of his innocence.

“It's the last building on the right,” Hope told the taxi driver

The car stopped in front of a three-story building painted green with a large black gate at the entrance. If she had to describe it in one word it would have been _vulgar_.

“So… here we are,” her sister sighed with a trembling smile

Rose snorted loudly and opened the door of the vehicle. The air, still damp from the afternoon rain, hit her squarely in the face. She got out of the taxi, careful not to get her shoes dirty in puddles of muddy water and waited for her siblings to join her.

“Which one is ours?” she asked Hope

“We are on the second floor,” she said as she opened the gate with one of the keys from the bunch she had

After hearing Hope’s answer, Hugo hurried up the stairs laughing with excitement.

“Hugo, wait!” Rose shouted going after the little one

The redhead hurried up the steps without paying much attention to where she was going, so when she reached the upper landing she was about to fall when she hit hard against a wall of muscle.

“Hey are you okay?” A voice sounding both amused and concerned asked as a guy held her so as not to fall

“Uhum, thanks,” she muttered as she released her body from the grip

The wall of muscle turned out to be a tall, stocky, dark-haired boy with a hair that seemed to grow messy and in all directions.

“You must be Hope”

“No, but I am,” the tired voice of her sister replied, “Hello. You are Albus right?”

“The one and only,” replied the boy smiling sideways, “Mom sent me. She…”

“Excuse me, but who is this person?” Rose interrupted looking at her older sister

“Oh, of course, what a fool!” Hope shook her head, “This is Albus Potter, our cousin. I told you about him, remember?” She didn’t expect for her reply, “Albus this is Rose and this is Hugo”.

The little one greeted him with joy and the boy responded in the same way. Rose just nodded.

"As I was telling you," Albus continued, "Mum went to do some groceries shopping but she asked me to help you with whatever you needed."

“That's very nice of her,” Hope sighed, “Though the truth is that almost all of our things are already in the apartment. However, we do have...”

Rose disconnected from the conversation and moved down the short hall. It seemed there were only two apartments on the floor. What would her new _home_ be?

Her older sister seemed to read her thoughts because she walked to the door on the left that had a number 5 on the door and struggled for a few seconds with the lock before opening it.

“Welcome home!”

Hope’s voice sounded strangely cheerful although Rose could sense the hidden apprehension, probably due to her reaction.

“It's small,” Hugo commented innocently

Hope answered something that she didn’t get because she left the small space that acted as a living room to tour the place.

There was a tiny kitchen, a bathroom, and three bedrooms. Rose opened all the doors until she came across the one that would clearly be hers, as Hope had already placed her possessions in this new room, surely trying to make her feel at home.

She walked over to sit on the bed and took one of her purple plush pillows. The girl took a deep breath and she could still notice the vanilla scent that used to permeate her old room in the mansion.

“You guys are very lucky,” said a male voice behind her

She turned and found that Albus boy leaning nonchalantly on the doorframe.

“Are we, really?” She asked after a few seconds

"An apartment with three bedrooms and a cheap rent," he explained. "That’s not something common in this area. It was fortunate that Mr. Bode moved in just when you needed a place to live”.

"So you think this,” she covered the room with her hand, “is being lucky?"

“Don’t you?” He wanted to know

“Of course not,” she replied with a cold voice, “This bedroom is not even half as big as the bathroom I had in the mansion. This is a mousetrap! And that… that living room, if I can call it that way, It doesn’t...”

Rose suddenly fell silent due to Albus giggling as he shook his head. The girl instantly blushed but faced him staring into his green eyes, “What is so funny?” She inquired.

“You, you are,” he replied calmly as he entered _her_ bedroom

“Really? Well, none of this seems funny to me”

Albus just shrugged as he examined one of her cushions. Rose stood up and took it off his hands immediately.

“I don't like my things being touched without my permission”

“You're quite a fierce one, huh?” He replied in a mocking tone, “Whatever. I'll leave you now to… settle in or whatever it is that women do when they’re alone”.

She tilted her head and when she heard him leave, she slowly closed the door and flopped onto the bed. Rose sighed heavily looking at the luminous plastic stars that, just like in her previous room, were stuck to the ceiling. Hope had done a good job replicating that old part of her life.

Out of habit the girl took her phone out of her jeans pocket and checked it, but there was nothing. Not even a message, a call, or some sign from her old friends. The lump in her throat tightened and her eyes watered; only she was tired of crying. Tired of lamenting the bad luck that for a couple of months seemed to follow her family everywhere.

In a fit, she threw the phone to the other end of the bed. The device would be useless soon anyway, because she didn't have enough money to continue paying the bills.

“Can I come in?” A few soft knocks accompanied Hope's voice

“Yes, come in”

She sat up so her sister could sit next to her. The girl was with Hugo, who ran to her side and lay down between her legs.

“So? What’s the verdict?” Asked her older sister suspiciously.

“Do you really want to know?” She replied

“Rosie,” she sighed, “I know this place is not what we're used to but seriously, this is so much better than the places I've seen in this area”.

She snorted loudly.

Hope had been kind of like the black sheep of the family. After just a year of attending the University, she had announced to her parents that the academic life was not for her and, without asking for approval from anyone, joined a group of volunteers and spent the last three years traveling through countries in Africa helping those in need. Rose had seen some of her photos and she supposed she was now comparing her experiences in those remotes villages with theirs.

“I like my room,” Hugo said, “Everything here is much closer so I don’t have to walk so much”

“You are such a tiny lazy boy!” Hope added ruffling his hair and giving Rose an eloquent look. “Our little boy likes here…”

The girl bit her tongue to not reply as she wanted and just nodded. She had to remember that none of this was Hope's fault; that her older sister was trying very hard to make her and Hugo feel comfortable and happy. She had to always keep that in mind, for she didn’t deserve her reproaches.

“What are we having for dinner?” Rose asked wanting to change the topic.

“About that,” Hope smiled, “Aunt Ginny invited us to have dinner at her home”

“Mmm, do we have to go? We don't even know that woman well enough”

“But she is dad’s sister, Rosie,” Hope took her hand, “And she has helped us a lot, especially to settle in here. She has no obligation to us, not after how dad… just removed her from his life”.

She sighed heavily. It was still hard for Rose to imagine her father coming from a place like this, and even more putting his family aside after having achieved financial success in his life. Her father had always been perfect in her eyes, the most attentive, most loving man.

“So are you going with us?” Hope interrupted the course of her thoughts. She just nodded, “Excellent! Then, this young man and I will go take a bath,” she said as she lifted Hugo from the bed, “Thank you Rosie”

She blew her a kiss before leaving the room with the boy in her arms.

Once alone Rose lay back on the bed and waited, deep in thought, for her siblings to free the bathroom. Then she took her bag of toiletries and stepped into the shower. Fortunately they had hot water, although they didn't really need it yet as the heat was still strong in the environment. After the bath she put on a simple blue dress and let her curly hair down before going to the living room.

“There you are!” Hope said standing up, “Come on Hugo”

“Can I take Mr. Hugs with me?” The boy asked clinging to his teddy bear.

“Yes, of course,” Hope told him

She closed the apartment door and followed her sister to the first floor of the building. They stopped at the door number 2 and Hope rang the bell. Just a few seconds later a woman with a kind face opened. Her hair was an orange shade identical to Rose’s dad.

“Kids,” the woman greeted smiling, “I'm very happy that you came, come in, come in please”

Rose entered the small living room that was very clean and tidy. Many family photographs, showing Albus, another boy and a younger girl, were hung on the walls. The place looked very cozy.

“Auntie, this is Rose and this is Hugo,” Hope introduced, “Guys, this is Aunt Ginny, daddy's sister”

“It's very good to finally meet you,” said the aunt, approaching Hugo first and squeezing him into a hug

“Good evening,” Rose greeted when Ginny was in front of her

"Wow, you look a lot like Hermione!"

The comparison to her mother made her blush; but she knew the woman was right. Although she had inherited her father's orange-red hair, her face was identical to her mother's: brown eyes, bushy eyebrows, and no freckles. And Rose had Hermione’s wild waves that fell a little below her shoulders as well.

Aunt Ginny gave her a gentle hug that she reciprocated before asking them to sit at the table. Rose hadn't noticed before but there was already a girl sitting there. She couldn’t be much older than Hugo.

“This is my youngest daughter, Lily Luna. Lily, these are your cousins.”

Hugo immediately approached the little girl and they started talking as she and Hope sat at the table. Aunt Ginny went into the kitchen and came back with a plate of roast chicken and potatoes that smelled great.

“I hope you like it,” she commented

“Looks delicious,” said Hope

Rose took a bite and had to agree with her sister. The food was amazing. While Hope and Aunt Ginny talked about some of the building's issues, the redhead ate in silence.

"Where is Albus, by the way?" Asked her sister

“Oh, you know how teenagers are,” the woman sighed, “He went out with his friends, they must probably be at one of their homes. But since we are talking about teenagers,” the aunt turned to look at Rose, “Everything is ready for Hugo and you to start school. They expect you both tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? So soon?” She asked nervously at the same time that Hope thanked her aunt

“Rose, you can't miss any more classes,” her sister replied, “You know that you must keep your high grades to be able to go to the University”

She nodded mechanically and put a piece of chicken into her mouth. Once again, her sister was right, “Well then tomorrow will be,” she answered, “But I still don't have a uniform”

“Oh, it’s not necessary dear,” said Aunt Ginny, “Students can attend with the clothes they want.”

“Isn't that great?” Put in Hope, “I would have loved not to have to wear a uniform during my school times”

“Is the school close? How will I get there?” Rose wanted to know, ignoring her sister's comments.

“You can go with Albus; he attends your same school although he’s a year older than you”

The girl nodded once more silently. Being accompanied by her obnoxious cousin wasn't exactly what she wanted, but it didn't seem right to be impolite with Aunt Ginny. Also, she didn't know the neighborhood, so it would be better to go directly with someone familiar rather than ask for directions like a fool.

The rest of the dinner was spent in a quiet conversation between Hope and her aunt, who was indicating some addresses and establishments that the girl wanted to visit because she had to search for a job. At some point Hugo and Lily left the table to play in the latter's room, and when it was time to leave, Aunt Ginny gave them a piece of cake to continue eating at home.

“Please, whatever you need, do not hesitate to ask,” commented the woman before saying goodbye with a kiss

The girls went upstairs listening to Hugo's complaints, who wanted to continue playing with Lily. Once in the apartment Rose went to her room while Hope took care of her little brother.

She checked her phone one more time but there was nothing. Sighing, she changed the dress for pajamas and Hope came into her room while she was brushing her hair.

“Hi Ariel,” she said with a wide smile

“Ariel?” She laughed, “You haven't called me that since... since I was five years old”

“You used to love the Little Mermaid,” Hope sat on the bed, “And you looked so much like her with that pretty red hair”

Rose smiled but didn't know what to say. She really didn't like remembering those moments very much. At least not now.

“I'm sorry about school,” her sister continued, “It must have taken you by surprise, I was going to mention it to you but...”

“It’s fine,” she shrugged, “I know you're right. I have to go back to study, keep getting good grades and apply for a scholarship or I won't go to the university. I know that.”

Her voice sounded bitterer than she intended, so she walked over to her sister and took her hand, squeezing it and smiling at her.

“You will be fine, I'm sure,” said Hope

“Thank you,” she hugged her tightly and the older girl reciprocated the gesture

"Well, I'll leave you now," she said. "It would be good if you went over your notes, I think, maybe doing some reading before tomorrow”

“It is a public school, Hope. They’re probably studying things that I learned years ago,” she rolled her eyes

Hope giggled and muttered something Rose didn't understand. Then she gave her a tender kiss on the forehead and left her in her new room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Rose's first day of school.  
> *She makes an unexpected friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Just this fanfiction.

**CHAPTER TWO**

**ROSE**

She didn't want to be nervous, but she couldn't help it. Rose hadn't gotten much sleep thinking about what to expect on her first day of school, imagining a thousand scenarios although she still had no idea what the place was like. For a minute the girl was tempted to ask Hope if she had seen the school but preferred for her sister not to notice her anxious state.

So there she was, with barely five minutes to finish getting ready, but still wearing pajamas. The redhead sighed and took a look at her clothes. Everything looked formal or very classy for school, mainly because it was almost all exclusive and designer clothes.

“Hope wants to know if you are ready”

She looked up at Hugo, who had entered unannounced. The little boy was already dressed up and wearing the gym pants that was his uniform in his previous kindergarten.

“Almost,” Rose answered

“Well, it doesn't seem like it,” he made a face wrinkling his little nose.

“What do you think I should wear?” She asked

“I like the color white”

Hugo grabbed a white sleeveless chiffon blouse from the pile on the bed.

“White it is then,” the girl smiled at his brother

The boy smiled back and left her room. She hurried to put on the blouse, a denim shorts and opted for sneakers, as it had rained all night and there would probably be more mud puddles on the streets.

She grabbed her purse, put away her notebook, pens, and by habit her phone before joining her siblings at the kitchen table. Hope had made scrambled eggs and toast, plus there was milk for Hugo and orange juice for them.

“You look very pretty,” her sister smiled at her

“Thank you,” Rose answered sitting down and having a toast, “This taste good”

"It's just a toast." Hope shrugged, "Wait until you try one of my lunches before you judge me."

She laughed slowly and rushed to eat in silence. Her siblings followed suit, and then Hope handed Hugo his lunch box.

“Okay,” said the older girl, “You will have lunch at school but take this,” she placed a five pound bill in her hand, “It’s not much but...”

“It’ll serve, thanks Hope. By the way, who will pick up Hugo from school?”

"I'll do it," she sighed. "I'm going to take him right now before I start my job search. Wish me luck. Oh right! Here are the keys to the apartment.”

She put the keys in her purse before hugging her older sister tightly and whispering to her to have luck. She then hugged Hugo and asked him to have fun and make lots of new friends.

“Wait for Albus and be a good girl, okay?” Hope told her before leaving

Through the living room window that faced the street, she saw her siblings leave the building and followed them with her eyes until they were out of sight. The girl sat on the sofa, anxious, although her wait was short as the doorbell rang just a few minutes later.

“You're ready, great,” Albus greeted after giving her an approving look

“Did you expect me not to be?” She asked

"You seem like the type of girl that takes hours to get ready," he shrugged and added, without giving her time to reply, "Do you want me to carry your purse?"

“No, thanks,” she said closing the door behind her

“Good,” he agreed, “I really don't want to walk around with a woman's bag, but mom would kill me if I hadn't asked you”

She couldn't help rolling her eyes. He just smiled and then they went down the stairs in silence.

“How will we get to the school?” She ask

“We’ll go in my baby,” he replied winking at his cousin

“I don't know if I want to know what your baby is,” she commented looking at him suspiciously

Albus ignored her and, instead of going to the entrance gate, turned to a small room that she hadn’t seen. She followed him in and found a room that served as a garage. There were two rickety cars that looked like they hadn't been used in years. Her cousin, however, was leaning against a huge black motorcycle.

"This is my baby," he announced with a bright smile.

Rose felt a chill run down her spine. She was not a fan of adrenaline. The truth is that she didn't even know how to drive a car, let alone a motorcycle. And this one seemed especially dangerous.

“I'm not going to get on that,” she said

“Oh yes, you will,” he went to one end of the room and raised a lift-gate before returning to the motorcycle to take it out on the street, “I'm a good driver you know?”

She shook her head although she followed him outside. Albus got on the bike and held out one of the helmets to her.

“Come on, we must hurry,” he urged her

“Albus please, please, can't we go by… bus or taxi?”

He laughed in that particular mocking tone and got off the bike, “Come on Rose, don't tell me you're scared. You seem stronger than that,” Albus took her hand and brought the girl closer to his motorcycle, “Here, put your helmet on and climb up.”

Reluctantly she did. Her cousin climbed up once more and she clung tightly to his waist.

“Try not to break my ribs, huh?” He joked but she ignored him, “Well, are you ready? Let's go baby”

The bike started with a soft purr and Albus accelerated. Rose let out a little cry so she closed her eyes, which was an inconvenience to her plan to learn the way so she wouldn't have to rely on her cousin again.

"We're close the school now," he yelled before taking a steep turn in a bumpy little street.

She clung closer to his body and cursed him inside, still not daring to open her eyes. Maybe that's why she didn't notice that they had arrived.

“Hey, we're here,” Albus said turning towards her

Slowly he stopped in a parking lot littered with other motorcycles and some old cars. The redhead sighed deeply and let him help her down as her feet were shaky.

“Welcome to your new school,” he said with a smile

She took off the helmet and took in everything around her. The school... was pretty close to what she had imagined. The buildings were old, painted a sad blue color and had a poorly maintained garden where several of the students were sitting, whispering with joy and smoking.

A group of girls close to them were looking at her with open curiosity, so she tilted her gaze. She was the new student so she knew she would have to get used to the whispering and the gazes, although that prospect was not exciting at all.

“So…,” she cleared her throat, “Thanks for the lift. I uh... I have to go to the principal's office”

"It’s in that building," Albus pointed out. "His office is on the first floor right at the end of the hall, although if you wish I can accompany you”

“No, it's ok,” she said, “I'll see you later I guess”

“Right here, 3:30 p.m. to take you home”

"Would I see you at lunch?"

“No, not today, I already have plans for lunch today,” he chuckled in a way she didn't understand, “But tomorrow we can have lunch together if you want.”

Rose nodded and fixed her purse, ready to go. As she walked towards the building she noticed that a group of boys approached Albus and greeted him with affection. She stared at them for a few seconds. They all seemed to be good friends.

The sound of giggles made her turn around and she noticed some girls ogling her cousin and his friends. She hadn't really noticed, but Albus was very attractive. In addition to being tall and lean, he was clearly muscular, had a seductive smile, and with the motorcycle and black t-shirt he was wearing, he seemed to have the complete package to be a proper bad boy. He was probably one of the most popular guys in school.

The ring of a bell pulled her out of the way of her thoughts and she hurried to head to the principal’s office, which she found without problems.

“You must be Rose Weasley,” said a plump woman who was probably the principal's secretary

“That's right,” she agreed, “I'm supposed to come here to pick up my schedule and some other things”

“Of course,” the woman smiled at her before opening one of her drawers and handing her a medium-sized white envelope, “Check it out, please”

She opened the envelope and emptied its contents onto the secretary's desk. She had her schedule, some pamphlets on certain workshops offered at school, and a key.

“It's from your locker,” said the secretary, “Now what is your first class?”

“Eh... chemistry,” she replied

“With Professor McMillan,” the woman nodded, “Come on, I'll take you to the lab”

The woman got up with some difficulty and led the way to the adjoining building. The lab was the first room and it was almost packed with students.

“Well, here you are. Good luck.”

The secretary was gone before she could thank her but she had a class to attend anyway. Rose took a deep breath to summon her courage and entered the lab, immediately heading over to the professor to introduce herself, wishing with all her might that the man didn't insist in her saying her name in front of the entire class. Professor McMillan seemed to notice her nervousness because after giving her a brief welcome, he indicated a free spot near the end of the classroom.

“Unfortunately the pairs are already designed so you will have to work alone on your class projects,” he told her while handing her a textbook of his course, “We are starting chapter 4, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to let me know”

The girl nodded and smiled briefly at him before sitting down in the indicated spot. Sighing in relief as she settled her bag and opened the book, she read the chapter's topic: atomic structure, something she knew well enough. Smiling internally, she spent the rest of the class concentrating on the teacher's explanation and trying to ignore the curious looks from her classmates.

When the class ended, she waited for most of the students to leave the classroom before heading to Professor McMillan to ask about the classroom 102. The man told her it was the last room across the hall, so she headed there.

Biology class was a surprise, mainly because they were learning about a subject she was unfamiliar with and because, unlike Professor McMillan, Professor McGonagall did make her introduce in front of everyone. Fortunately, many of the guys just ignored her as they were more aware of their phones, although she received a couple of hisses and giggles from some of them.

“Ms. Weasley,” said the professor when the class finished, “Here, this is the book we’re using. We will have a test in our next class on Thursday, so I suggest you to study. I’ll see you then”

The woman dismissed her with a friendly smile and she took the heavy book.

She had one last class before lunch, but since she didn't want to carry the two textbooks all over the school, she decided to go to her locker and leave them there. The locker was not difficult to find, but opening it was proving to be a nightmare.

Muttering a curse under her breath, she continued to try to pick the lock, but it didn’t work. Desperately, she hit it with her fist but only managed to hurt her hand and drop her purse and books.

“Dammit!” She let out angrily, bending down to pick up her things

“Let me help you”

Rose raised her head to see a girl kneeling next to her and handing her the books. She smiled shyly at Rose and the redhead nodded.

“Thank you”

“Oh, this is broken, I’m sorry,” she handed Rose a heart-shaped mirror that her dad had bought for her at a fair when she was eight years old and she used to carry around since then, “I hope it's not important”

“No, it's just a meaningless object,” she replied taking it and putting it in her bag, “Thanks again”

Rose stood up and the girl did the same.

“Do you need help with the key? They’re old and tend to get stuck in the lock”

“I’ve noticed,” she sighed

“May l?”

“Please,” Rose answered handing her the key

The girl walked over to the locker, put the key in the lock, and struggled just a little before it opened.

“Ha! How did you do that?” Rose wanted to know

“The trick is not to fully insert the key and turn it in one quick movement,” she replied, “It gets easier with practice”

“I hope so,” she smiled putting the books in the locker, “I'm Rose. Rose Weasley”

“Cassandra,” she smiled slightly, “You’re a new student, right? I've never seen you around here”

“It’s my first day,” she shrugged

“Well if you need directions on the classrooms, I can give them to you,” Cassandra offered

“That would be great. I have another class now, it’s a... literature,” she said after checking the schedule

“It's also my next class,” she smiled, “Come on, the classroom is on the second floor”

She followed Cassandra to the second level and they entered a large classroom filled with posters of famous writers. Rose recognized most of them.

“Come on, I'll introduce you to Professor Thomas,” Cassandra said, “Professor Thomas, this is Rose, she's new in the school”

“I can see that,” the man smiled, “Welcome Rose, I hope you are a reading lover. It would be nice to have a student who enjoys the course as much as Miss Nott seems to do,” said the teacher referring to Cassandra

Cassandra blushed violently and Rose smiled at the man

“I hope so,” she said

“Well, go sit down, class is about to start”

The redhead sat next to Cassandra and listened to the teacher talk about the Elizabethan literature. It was a much more interesting class than the previous ones and the truth is that she regretted a little when it finished.

“Don't forget to read the first two acts of Macbeth to discuss them on Wednesday,” said the teacher before the class left

Cassandra approached her at the end of class and they left the classroom together.

“I was thinking...,” the girl began, visibly embarrassed, “well, you're new so I thought you might want some company for lunch”

Her proposal took Rose by surprise but the smile she gave her was genuine. She honestly didn't want to eat alone and she liked Cassandra. She seemed to be very sweet.

“I would love that,” she replied

Cassandra nodded and they walked in comfortable silence towards the cafeteria, which was a very large but crowded space that smelled of grease. There was a queue to collect food and that's where they headed.

“I don't recommend the pudding,” Cassandra said when their turn approached, “It looks better than it tastes”

“It's good to know that,” Rose said giggling

Grabbing a tray, she opted for a salad and a slice of treacle tart that looked delicious. She had a soda too and turned to Cass. She had chosen a hamburger, an apple, and a juice box.

“So is there a specific place where we shouldn't sit? You know... popular kids' tables or something like that”

Cassandra giggled, “Yes, of course there are. I usually sit there,” she pointed to a table next to a window that overlooked one of the green areas, “The other students avoid them because it’s near the Teachers' Room. I like it because it’s silent.”

“Sounds good,” she replied, “I follow you, then”

Cassandra led the way and Rose took the opportunity to take a better look at her classmate.

The girl was shorter than she was; her dark long brown hair was tied in a graceless ponytail. She was pretty, however. Her oval face had stunning blue eyes along with a delicate nose and full lips. In fact she was truly beautiful despite not be using a single drop of makeup or be wearing a gray T-shirt that had to be at least three sizes larger than hers, and baggy jeans.

“The tart is good,” the redhead commented after sitting down and tasting it

Her new friend was about to respond but then a boy burst into their table, sitting next to Cass.

“Hello lovely,” he said giving her a kiss on the cheek and causing Cass to visibly tense up and turn pale, “An apple! Perfect”

The boy took the apple from Cass's tray and took a bite.

“Who are you supposed to be?” Rose asked, annoyed by his attitude, “You shouldn't just take food from someone else's tray.”

“Oh Rose, it's alright,” Cass was quick to say

“No, it's not right,” she cut her off, “He's bothering you and...”

“He's my brother,” she said taking Rose’s hand for a second, “And he just took me by surprise, that's all”

She glanced at Cass and noticed her smiling sweetly at the boy before slapping her fist on his shoulder and snatching her apple.

“Rose, this is my brother Theodore. Brother, this is Rose Weasley”

“Nice to meet you,” he gave her a side smile, “I'm Theodore, but beautiful girls like you can call me Theo”

She was tempted to laugh but held herself back. The truth is that Theo was very handsome, but his comment more than flattering her, had amused her.

“Rose,” replied smiling politely

"So Rose," he took the apple from Cass again and took a bite. "You're new, right? Because I would definitely have seen you before if...”

“Stealing your sister's food again?” Asked a thick, husky voice.

A boy sat casually next to Theo and hit him on the head. He was very tall, slim, and had platinum blonde hair. His eyes, an astonishing gray, were lion-shaped. His straight nose and thin lips gave him the appearance of a magazine model. He was probably the most handsome boy she had ever seen.

Her scrutiny didn’t go unnoticed by him, who fixed his eyes on hers and for the first time in his life Rose found herself blushing.

“And you are?”

“That's Rose, Cass's new friend,” Theo answered immediately

The blonde just nodded and looked at her for a few seconds before turning to the siblings.

“Hey, we’re running late,” he said to Theo

"Oh, right." He cleared his throat. "Cassie, can we talk for a minute in private?"

Cassandra seemed to hesitate, looking at Rose, but her brother insisted.

“I'll be back in a minute, okay?” Cass told Rose, and then she turned to her blond friend, “Be nice Scorpius”

 _Scorpius_ , she repeated in her mind. His name suited him very well. The thought made her blush again so she looked down at her food and attacked the carrots in the salad.

“Salad and a tart,” said the boy

She didn't know what to say so she just nodded. He smiled and a dimple formed on his cheeks.

“I'm Scorpius Malfoy,” he replied as he extended his hand

“Rose,” she answered in a soft voice

His hand, big and strong, was rough and had some calluses, although she liked the warm feeling it caused in her. Alarmed by the thought she cocked her head and withdrew her hand.

“Is it your first day here?” He continued

“It is,” she nodded

“And what do you think so far?” Scorpius asked curiously

“It isn’t too bad”

He looked at her intently again before leaning back in his chair and starting to play with Cass's apple.

“I think you've started quite well,” he said, “Cassandra doesn't usually hang out with many people, so if you're having lunch with her it's because you must be special”

She was saved from answering because Cass and Theo came back at that point. He looked animated while she seemed concerned.

“All settled, we can go now,” Theo announced patting Scorpius

“See you later Cass,” Scorpius replied standing up, “And you too Rose, I hope” 

He smirked at her before walking away with his friend.

“I think he likes you,” Cass said with a side smile, looking at Scorpius and then at Rose

And for some reason, she found internally wishing her new friend was right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any thoughts so far?
> 
> Comments and words of encouragement are always welcomed.  
> Magical hugs for you (:


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *We get to know a bit more about Scorpius life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter, but I will be updating the next one tomorrow :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Just this fanfiction.

**SCORPIUS**

His mother was still lying on the couch when he returned from school. A bottle of cheap vodka was precariously held in her hand, so he reached over to place the bottle on the table before it end up spilling and becoming another mess for him to clean.

“Oh baby, you're here,” she murmured surprising him

“Hi mom,” the boy forced a smile in her direction and put the bottle on the coffee table, “Shouldn't you be at work already?”

“Umm no, not yet,” she hiccupped hitting him hard with her alcohol breath, “I changed my shift with Jenny, didn't I tell you?”

Scorpius shook his head and tossed his backpack onto the other couch, “And have you eaten?” He asked, although he already knew the answer

“No baby, not yet, but I don't feel very well, you know? I think I could use a big cup of coffee”.

He puffed silently. That was his mother's way of asking him to do something for her. And he couldn't refuse, of course. Despite the fact that Astoria could easily qualify for the award to the most careless mother in the world, she was the only relative he had, so it was his duty to take care of her.

“I'll go make you a cup. Go take a bath”

“That's a great idea,” she agreed standing up, “I have such a smart and handsome boy, a great son indeed”

His mother came over to give him an awkward hug. Lately the drink had managed to put her in an affectionate mood, something that, much to Scorpius's regret, he liked. He returned her hug and watched her walk slowly towards the bathroom.

Then he went to the kitchen and opened the fridge. The pizza boxes were stacked so he threw them away and inspected the rest of the food, however besides a bottle of milk and beers there wasn't much else. Scorpius settled with taking another can of chicken soup and some cereals from breakfast. Astoria got out of the shower as he finished pouring her cup of coffee.

“Mmm that smells good,” she commented pointing to the soup plate

“Do you want some?”

“Better not,” she took a sip of her coffee and made a funny face, “Honey, do you have plans for tonight?”

"Not plans, I'll just go out with the boys, as usual," he shrugged. "Why? Do you want me to help you with something?”

“No, no, I was just wondering what time you would be coming home”

Her tone of voice seemed casual but he knew her better than that. Scorpius met her eyes but she looked away and blushed. It didn't take long for him to understand what this was all about.

“Is there a man coming here tonight?”

“Oh honey… I was thinking of inviting Alexander, now that you mention it”

“Alexander? I thought you said you didn’t want to see him anymore”

He couldn't keep the anger out of his voice. The last time that jerk had come to visit his mother; Scorpius had overheard him arguing with her. He had to exert all his self-control not to end up splitting the man's face.

"Well he’s been so sweet lately." His mother sighed dreamily and he felt rage flowing in his veins.

Scorpius didn't respond and stood up to wash the plate he had just used. He knew that even though his mom seemed to ask permission to invite that guy over, she was going to end up doing it no matter what he said.

“I think I'll go to sleep for a while,” she said, “See you later baby”

“Sure”

When he finished washing her mother's cup, he returned to the living room, grabbed his backpack and went to his room. He had to finish a bloody essay for Professor Thomas or he would spend a whole week in detention.

Scorpius pulled out the copies of the book they were reviewing and tried to focus. He was still working on it when Astoria walked into his room without knocking to tell him she was going to work.

“Be careful out there, okay baby?”

“You too,” he replied

Astoria blew him a kiss and he heard her heels disappear down the hall.

The woman worked different shifts in a department store in the city and, when she wasn’t there, she used to frequent the local bars to get drunk. The truth is that Scorpius had many times wondered how she managed to get sober enough to go to work the next day, but to be fair Astoria had a lot of practice at that. She had been a functional alcoholic since his father left them ten years ago.

The boy turned on the computer and wrote the essay without paying much attention to the things he wrote, mainly because his stomach was roaring with hunger. Once he had his homework complete he took his keys and wallet, and went out the window of his room towards the fire escape.

Climbing the steps two at a time, he came to the window of Theo, his best friend. Scorpius entered in unannounced and heard him throw a curse. Grinning, he found Nott half-naked over his bed and taking pictures of his body, probably to send them to some girl.

“Who’s the lucky girl this time?” He asked while sitting on the sofa near the window

“Elena,” he smiled and pressed something on the phone before throwing it on the bed and putting on a shirt, "I've got her wrapped around my finger"

“Still, you should be careful. She could show the photos to anyone”

“And what if she does? I have nothing to be ashamed of,” he replied pointing to his body and flexing his muscles arms, product of hours spend in the gym and trainings with the basketball team.

Scorpius smiled and took a cigarette out of his pocket. Theo took one too and they smoked in silence for a while.

“Astoria?” Theo asked

Malfoy nodded without really wanting to talk about it, something his friend understood.

“Where's Cassie?” He asked, “Do you think there’s any food left? I’m starving”

“Mmm I think we still have some beef stew”

Scorpius stubbed his cigarette and tossed it down the fire escape. He knew Theo's parents weren't home, but Tracey Nott would be upset if she smelled even a minimal of tobacco scent in her kitchen. Rising to his feet, he walked out of Theo's room into Cass's. The boy gently knocked on the door.

“Come in Theo”

“I'm Scorpius,” he answered before opening the door

“Oh, Scorpius, you can come in too,” she replied and he imagined her with a smile on her face

He pushed open the door and breathed in the lavender disinfectant scent from Cassie's room. The truth is that the three of them had always been disorganized with their stuff, but for some time now she constantly kept her space in perfect order. Sometimes he wondered if she was doing it because she felt like she could at least control that aspect of her life. Scorpius preferred to change the course of his thoughts and sat down in her desk chair.

“So...,” she began because he had remained very quiet

“Ah yes... I was wondering if you guys still have something to eat”

“Of course, come with me, I'll serve you a plate”

The girl gave him one of her soft smiles and he followed her into the kitchen. The delicious aroma of the stew washed over him after a few seconds and his stomach roared louder.

“You should have come earlier,” Cass said, “You know you're always invited to join us for lunch”

If someone else had said something like that to him, he would probably have been irritated and embarrassed because of the comment.

But not Cass or Theo.

They, like their parents, had been his saviors during the hard times that followed his father's abandonment. They were his family and he knew the feeling was mutual.

“I was finishing an essay for literature class,” he excused himself

“Really? I'm glad to hear that,” there was a lot of sincerity in her voice, “Here,” Cass placed a plate in front of him and the boy devoured it instantly.

“You know?” He said, “I'm not completely irresponsible. I do my homework from time to time”

“Well, do it more often then,” Cass replied, “And the same goes for you”

Theo entered the kitchen, opened the fridge, and took out two beers. He handed one to Scorpius and then sat down next to him before sipping his drink.

“Dad is going to notice the missing beers,” Cass sighed

Her brother shrugged and turned his attention to Scorpius.

“Rygel just called me. His old man is not in the city so...”

He didn’t finish the sentence but looked at him and smirked.

"Sounds good," Scorpius replied. He could use so fun before having to go back home and put up with that guy and Astoria.

“I told Elena about the party and… she said that Val would be there too”

The blonde grunted and took a sip of his beer. He and Val had been having fun for a while, until she started asking for more and getting picky.

“Well we could tell Rygel to take care of her,” Theo laughed, “We know that after three glasses of beer she agrees to do anything with anyone”

“Theodore!” Cass punched him on the shoulder

“What? It's true!” He looked at her reproachfully and turned to his friend, “So, are you going?”

“Of course, Val isn't going to spoil a good night for me”.

Theo reached for his fist and he bumped it.

“Are you going with us?” Theo asked his sister although they already knew the answer

“I don't feel like it, maybe another day”

“You know that nothing is going to happen to you while we are there, right?” Scorpius said looking into her blue eyes

She nodded and tilted her head, visibly uncomfortable.

“You could even tell that redhead friend of yours to accompany you,” Theo interjected

"That's a good idea," Scorpius commented remembering the girl. That orange hair and chocolate eyes, his crotch responded excited at the prospect of seeing her again, “It was Rose, right?”

“Uhum,” Cass nodded, “Although I don't think her cousin would let her go to that party”

“Why not? Everyone wants to go to our parties,” Theo replied.

“Because her cousin is Albus”

“Albus? You mean Potter?” Scorpius asked. Cass nodded, “Fuck”

Theo whistled and shrugged.

"You better stay away from that girl," he said to his sister, "Once her cousin knows finds out that you two are friends, it will only cause problems. And I don't want to have to beat the shit out of those assholes”

Cassandra sighed and looked at Scorpius, as if seeking support.

“I think just like your brother. You know we can't stand Potter's group. We stay neutral at the school and on the streets but if any of them approaches you…,” he shook his head, “Those guys are not to be trusted.”

“I know that very well,” Cass looked at him harshly, “But Rose is not to blame for that. She came to the school just a few days ago and she doesn't even know her cousin is part of a gang, or that my brother and his best friend are members of the rival gang.”

“Cassie...”

“No, Theo,” she looked at them both, “I like Rose. She… also feels lonely and… lost in school, in this new life. I'm not pushing my only friend away for your silly gang rivalry.”

"She's not your only friend," he told her. "Isabelle and Sophia always ask about you and have tried to get closer to you. They miss you Cassie. We miss you”.

She bit her lip hard and stood up.

“I'll be in my room. Tell the girls that I miss them too but…,” she sighed, “Please be careful at the party”.

Cass came out of the kitchen and Theo and Scorpius were deep in thought.

“It's a shame, don't you think?” Theo said after several minutes, “That redhead was quite pretty”

He smiled not to respond, though internally he admitted that Rose was much more than just quite pretty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Ideas? Hope you're enjoying this story.   
> Hugs for all of you :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Just this fanfiction.

**ROSE**

She was finishing reading the book chapter for the biology test when her siblings arrived.

“Guess who has a new job…” Hope screamed as soon as the door closed behind her

Rose smiled with real joy and stood up to hug her sister.

"Congratulations," she said and Hope hugged her even tighter. The redhead, fearing that the older girl would start sobbing at any moment, hastened to ask, “Well tell me about your new job”

“Oh, I'll work as an assistant in a company that produces paper”

“You will be an assistant? That's great!”

“It is actually better than I expected,” she sighed, “It’s practically an office job; I think it will be a bit tedious but the factory is in the center of the district and it is not far from Hugo's school, so...”

“It's fantastic, Congratulations Hope!” she briefly hugged her again

Rose smiled internally, feeling a lot more relieved due to the good news her sister had given her. Their money reserves weren't going to last much longer, so Hope's new job had come at the perfect time.

Hope announced that she was going to take a bath while Hugo sat next to Rose and began to chatter about his day and his new friends. She helped her little brother and read him a couple of stories until Lily Luna arrived, as they played every day together.

“Hello dear, how are you today?” Aunt Ginny asked giving her a nice smile

“I’m actually very good, auntie,” she smiled as well and added, “Hope got a job today”

“That's excellent news! We have to celebrate!”

Aunt Ginny offered to cook the dinner and she decided to buy a chocolate cake, her sister's favorite.

“I’ll ask Albus to accompany you to Mr. Kowalski's bakery, that man makes the best cakes in the district”

“Thank you,” Rose took the woman’s hand and smiled with true sincerity, “For everything you've been doing for us”

She was beginning to feel more comfortable with her newly discovered family, and even her relationship with Albus had improved a bit. At least she no longer found him as intolerable as the first day she met him.

Aunt Ginny called Albus and she went to her room to grab some money she had saved. She was happy and, out of habit, the thought of texting her old friends from school crossed her mind. The idea discouraged her, for neither of them had yet tried to contact Rose.

"Mom says I should accompany you somewhere?"

She jumped at the sudden arrival of her cousin but was glad of his presence. There was no worth in lamenting the life and the people she had left behind.

“Hi,” she smiled, “Eh yes, to the bakery of a certain Mr. Kowalski”

Albus nodded. He seemed distracted by something.

“Are you okay?” She asked him

“Eh? Of course I am,” he gave her an arrogant smile, “Let’s go”

They left the apartment and began to walk in silence.

“We’re not taking your baby?” Rose asked when he closed the entrance gate of the building

“No, the bakery is not so far from here. It’s better if we walk because that way you can know some places in the district”

“That’s a great idea,” she admitted, “I want to be able to move around on my own and without having to depend on indications”

“Hmm, thinking of evading your sister's surveillance and escaping from the apartment to meet a boy?” He asked looking at her suspiciously

“You couldn't be more wrong,” she couldn't help but laugh at his comment

“I'm just saying,” her cousin shrugged, “You're pretty and I've already heard some compliments about you. There will be boys approaching you, trying to date you and all that stuff, but they’ll have to pass an exam from me and be approved before that, do you understand?”

This time Rose burst out laughing.

“Be approved by you?” She snorted, “Even if I decide to go out with someone, I don't need your permission”

“You'll understand soon,” he smiled at her once more and turned the corner of the street, “This is one of the largest parks in the district. See that big construction there in the middle?” He pointed and she nodded, “I usually hang out there at night with my friends. If you ever need anything you can find me there; and if I’m not, just say that you are my cousin and my mates will help you.”

“You sound very sure of that”

“The bakery is right there,” he replied

Albus nodded toward a small store that was almost unnoticed. The delicious smell of bread and confections reached her as they approached.

“I'll wait for you here,” he said leaning on the wall

Rose entered the place, which was full of customers, and lined up behind a tall woman. The girl glanced at the glass shelves filled with bread and other desserts. When it was her turn to order, she decided on a chocolate and almond cake.

“Twenty pounds,” said a skinny young man

“Here”

He handed him the box with her order and as she took it, she noticed a few flyers on the counter. The girl took one and read that it announced the celebration of a mass for the death of a guy. Apparently he had passed away a year ago and the mass would be celebrated in his honor the next day. The boy's photo was also on the flyer and showed a tall, thin man with a cold smile. For some reason the photo gave her a chill.

“Did you finish?” Albus asked when she left the bakery

“Ah yeah, yeah,” he held out his hand to carry the box and Rose handed it to him, “Hey, did you know this guy?”

From the look on Albus's face when he saw the flyer she knew immediately that it was a sensitive subject for him. Rose noticed that he clenched his hands into fists and his expression darkened.

“Where did you get that?” He wanted to know

“There were many of these in the bakery,” she replied

Albus nodded slowly before cursing, yanking the flyer out of her hands, and muttering something that sounded like " _I don't want to talk about that._ " He took the lead on the way back and Rose didn't dare try to start a conversation because she didn't want to anger him, so she paid more attention to the neighborhood streets.

She hadn’t noticed it before but on some walls the same symbol was repeated. It looked like a drawing of a red lion and was painted in graffiti style. The redhead wondered what it meant.

“Tell mom I'll be back for dinner”

Albus handed her the cake roughly and walked away. Rose sighed and went to Aunt Ginny's apartment to let the cake there, and then headed home. While her little brother played with Lily she continued reading the biology book. It was a heavy reading so the night found her when she had just finished reading the chapter.

The girl left Lily in the apartment downstairs and then took a bath. Hope helped Hugo and they both entered her room when they were ready.

“Let's go,” she told them

Aunt Ginny was already waiting for them. The room was decorated with balloons and had a banner with the sentence “ _Congratulations Hope_ ” hanging from the walls. Rosie smiled at the gesture as her sister hugged aunt Ginny and Lily handed over a drawing she had made for her.

“Congratulations on the job,” Albus appeared in the room

Rose watched him. Her cousin seemed more relaxed than a few hours ago, however she didn’t have time to talk to him because her aunt asked them to sit to the table, where a delicious meatloaf was waiting for them. They ate while mainly talking about Hope's job and what her aunt knew about the company she would work for.

When they finished dinner, Rose went to the kitchen to get the cake. Hope squealed with excitement at the sight of the gift and everyone ate with pleasure as it was truly delicious.

“Well, it's time to go to bed,” said Aunt Ginny a while later, “Lily Luna let's go”

The little girl protested a bit but her mother didn’t give in to her claims. Hope said Hugo should sleep too so the siblings thanked their aunt for the dinner and went back to the apartment. Rose hadn't realized Albus was following them until they were there.

“Hey can we talk?” He asked the redhead

“Sure,” she looked towards Hope

“I'll put Hugo to bed. Here,” she gave her the keys, “Don't take too long, you have school tomorrow”

Rose nodded and when Hope closed the door she turned to her cousin.

“So...,” she began

“Let's go somewhere more private,” he said and added, “The rooftop will do it”

She followed Albus up the stairs to the rooftop. Once they were there, he leaned against one of the walls and she did the same.

“Rose, I want to apologize for how rude I was with you a while ago,” he said, “I'm not usually like that and...”

“I know that,” she cut him off, “And from your reaction I also know that it must be a difficult topic for you, so you don't have to explain anything to me”

Her cousin looked at her for a long time before smiling.

"I like you," he said. He then took a cigarette and a lighter out of his pocket, “Do you mind?”

“Not at all”

He nodded, “Do you want one? I promise not to tell Hope”

She laughed at his comment.

“I’ve never smoked before,” she admitted

“Then I better teach you before you make a fool of yourself in front of your friends,” Albus scoffed, “But seriously do you want to try?”

“I'll try”

Albus handed her a lit cigarette and gave her indications to take a deep breath. She did so but ended up coughing. He smiled but didn't mock too much.

“Slowly, like this... now you let out the air”.

She did so. It wasn’t a bad feeling but she didn't quite like it. Rose finished smoking the cigarette anyway.

“He was my best friend,” Albus said suddenly, “The guy in the flyer and me, we knew each other since we were kids. Most of us here do. We grew up together even though he was older than me.”

“What happened to him?” She asked worried when noticing the pain in her cousin's voice

“He was stabbed,” Rose felt for the second time the rage emanating from her cousin's body, “Tomorrow is the first anniversary of his death”.

"That's horrible." She placed her hand slowly on Albus's shoulder and he smiled at her. "How… I mean… how did it happen?"

“I don't know all the details,” he took a last puff on his cigarette and lit another, “They found him in a vacant lot on the outskirts of the district. He was stabbed fifteen times,” Rose gasped and her body shuddered at that information, “They never caught the culprit though”.

After that they fell silent. He kept smoking and she just looked at the night sky while her mind imagined the boy's lifeless body. Who could have done such a thing? She couldn't stop wondering that.

“What was his name?” She wanted to know

“Andrew. His name was Andrew Johnson,” he sighed

“I'm so sorry Albus,” she said regretfully

He nodded and gave her a sad smile before raising his hand to ruffle her hair. As he did so, part of his shirt lifted and Rose noticed that he had a tattoo on the lower part of his abdomen.

“I've seen this image!” She said lifting his shirt higher, “Yes, yes, it is the one that is drawn on the walls of the neighborhood. What is it?”

Albus looked at her before tilting his head and speaking.

"It's a red lion," he said. "And it's the symbol that identifies my gang."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the kudos and the comments. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please, please let me know your thoughts. 
> 
> Magical days for you :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> * Albus and Rose continue their conversation  
> * Rose learns something about Cassandra and Scorpius

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Just this fanfiction.

**ROSE**

Surely she had misheard him, because… a gang? She looked at Albus in disbelief but he still had a very serious expression on his face.

“A gang? As in… I don't know… guys with tattoos mugging people and selling drugs and stolen cars?

Her cousin smirked and sucked in his cigarette, then exhaled the smoke through his nose.

“Answer my question,” she insisted

“No, we’re not that kind of gang. Actually, I probably didn't use the right word, we're more like a brotherhood that takes care of the district,” he said after a few seconds

“A brotherhood,” she looked at him insightfully, “But what exactly does that mean?”

“Listen, I'm not going to lie to you. The situation in the district is not ideal and I admit that there are members within us who resort to illegal things”

“That’s not very reassuring, Albus”

“Not everyone does that. I don’t, if you want to know. I haven’t done anything illegal or… as illegal as stealing.”

“Elaborate please,” she asked raising an eyebrow

"I've smoked pot a few times," he shrugged. "And if you’re in a party… my friends and I know where you can get some."

Rose sighed heavily and looked at her cousin's face. The confession he had just made to her didn’t seem to affect him.

"Does Aunt Ginny know about this?"

"She doesn't interfere with it, though," he nodded. "It has its advantages, nobody messes with mom or Lily, and people won’t mess with you and your siblings either. There’s protection from being in a gang”

“Protection?”

“You haven't seen the ugly side of the district yet, believe me,” Albus said looking into her eyes, "Everyone here makes their living as they can, and many times that includes doing illegal things. In my group I’m the leader, or at least one of them, at school I have a position and the others listen to me”.

“And what about outside the school?”

“Well I have some control over the guys in my inner circle and some boys younger than me,” he shrugged, “The gang is like an organization, when you are of legal age you can decide to be a real member but it is much more complicated. It requires loyalty and always following the orders of the leaders, who, as I said, don't always act within the law”.

It took her a few minutes to process all of that information; meanwhile Albus finished his cigarette and lit out another.

“Will you join them when you are of age?”

“It's what is expected,” he cackled, “But I haven't decided yet. It's convenient for me to be part of them for now, but I don't know if I'll continue with the Gryffindors when I turn eighteen”.

She was surprisingly relieved at his statement.

“What do you think? Are you scared?” Albus wanted to know

“Not scared, I think I’m… surprised. I had heard about gangs but... I don't know Albus."

“They’re my friends. We are loyal to each other, we protect ourselves, and we take care of our own. That kind of bond is special.”

"Was Andrew one of them?" She asked

“Andrew was one of the leaders”.

She nodded silently, not sure of what to say or how to respond, mainly because of the pain that shot through her cousin's face.

“I kind of envy what you and your friends have,” she finally commented. Albus looked at her encouraging her to continue, “Do you know how many of my friends have called me since my family problems began? None, none of Dad's friends, who were frequent guests in our parties and gatherings, no one offered to help us. I mean… I understand that they’re upset with dad for his… mismanagement in his businesses but they could at least be a little empathetic towards us, don’t you think?” She sighed and her voice cracked, “Aunt Ginny and you, who had never seen us before, helped us more than all of them together. You’re much better people than those I used to have in my life”

“I'm sorry" Albus placed his hand awkwardly on her shoulder, "I hadn't thought about how lonely you must feel. Honestly at the beginning you were rude and cold, so I didn’t consider that you were suffering because of all the changes in your life”.

His comment brought out a sad smile, “I used to take everything for granted you know? School, friends, my family, my life was a pleasant routine. I could afford all the luxuries, the trips I wanted, and even if I didn't have the grades I have, college was the next step in my education. Dad had so many contacts… a donation here and another one there and I would have been accepted anywhere I wanted to go,” she sighed, “But now… now all that is gone and I realized that I lived in a bubble, that I didn't know anything about life. Renting an apartment, bills, money to buy food… I never thought about that before and now it is so present in my life”.

"You’re going to be fine, you can make this work,” Albus assured her, "You’re already doing it. Hope has a job, that's going to help.”

“And I plan to help too. I will look for a job to help my sister.”

Her cousin smiled at her in a special way. There was no trace of mockery on his face, but rather of affection.

"I like you," he said and added, "I wish the circumstances we met were different."

“If they were different,” she smiled mischievously, “I would have probably just ignored you thinking you were another street loser”.

They both laughed at her comment and then decided it was time to go back. Without much thought Rose wrapped her cousin in a hug when he left her at the door of the apartment, internally wishing for him to be safe and not to do anything crazy or related to that gang.

That night her dreams were plagued with nightmares, most of them related to the things Albus had told her about that guy Andrew and his gang. When the alarm on her phone rang, Rose felt like she had only slept for a few minutes.

“Good morning Ariel,” Hope greeted when she entered the kitchen, “Oh, oh, bad night?”

"Terrible," the girl answered while pouring a cup of coffee. "Where's Hugo?"

“He’s in the bathroom. But what happened? Why couldn't you sleep? Are you ill?”

"No, no, I just had some nightmares, just that," she shrugged. She wasn't going to tell her sister anything about what Albus had confessed to her, “Today is your first day!” Rose said changing the subject

Hope stood up and Rose noticed she was wearing a blouse, skirt, and heels. She looked very elegant.

“I’m sure it’s going to be a great day for you”

“Thanks baby sister”

After breakfast she hurried to get ready, grabbed the heavy backpack with the school books and went downstairs to where Albus was already waiting for her.

“Mom sent this for you,” he said handing her a paper bag, “I think it's a piece of yesterday's cake.”

“Just what I need this morning,” she replied smelling the chocolate aroma that came out of the bag

Albus smiled and handed her the helmet.

She sat comfortably on the motorcycle, more used to the sensation and not feeling as scared as before, while she went over the concepts of biology in her mind. When they got to the school’s parking lot she noticed Cass was standing near the other cars, waiting for her where they had agreed.

“Cass!” She called her, because she was still a few meters away

The girl waved to her but made no move to approach. Rose motioned for her to do so, but she just shook her head and took a few steps back. Sighing, the redhead took her backpack and turned to Albus.

“See you later,” she said

“Is that your friend?” He wanted to know

“Uhum, her name is Cassandra,” Rose nodded

"I've never seen her before." He cocked his head. "Why doesn't she come closer?"

“She’s a bit… shy”

“That’s a pity, I prefer the ones with experience,” he winked at her and she hit him gently with her fist, “See you at the afternoon, have a nice time”

Rose rolled her eyes before waving her goodbye and walking towards Cassandra.

“Good morning,” Cassie said

“Is not that good for me,” replied the redhead, “I'm so tired! And I think I'll fail the biology test!”

"Nonsense, you’ll do very well," Cassie assured her.

“I wish I was as confident as you,” she smiled at her

They headed towards the buildings and as soon as they entered, Rose noticed that Cassandra's attitude changed completely, as she felt her tense next to her. She looked at her to find out what was happening but the girl was just staring at a flyer similar to the one Rose had seen yesterday at the bakery, the flyer about the mass in honor of Andrew's death, only this flyer was much bigger. Several of the students were also looking at Johnson's photo and, underneath it; they had placed flowers and candles.

“It's very sad, don't you think?” She asked Cass

“No, it's not,” her voice sounded so harsh, surprising Rose, “He got what he deserved”

“Cass!” Rose gasped. It was a horrible and unexpected comment, especially coming from someone like Cassandra, whom she hadn't even heard cursing, “Did you know him?”

She seemed to snap out of a trance and quickly shook her head.

“Can we go now? I have to get to algebra before the teacher closes the classroom”

Rose was going to tell her that they still had a lot of free time but she preferred to nod and follow her. Clearly something had bothered her and she wasn't going to delve into that, at least not now.

After algebra class Cass went out somewhere and she couldn't follow her. She didn't have much time to worry, though, because biology was her next class. The test, which was very difficult, trapped her thoughts until lunchtime.

Cass was waiting for her at the cafeteria.

“How was your test?” She asked

“I think I did well,” she sighed, “But I can’t be 100% sure”

Cass smiled at her. She seemed to have returned to her natural mood.

“So… I was thinking of getting a job,” Rose commented as they took a couple of trays and waited in line, “My older sister already has one but I want to help to pay the bills as well”

"That's a great idea," she replied. "Do you have something in mind?"

"Not really," she admitted. "But I guess I could be a babysitter or a tutor”

“Hmm, I don't think that kind of jobs are well paid here,” Cass commented

Rose sighed and ordered a hamburger and apple juice, and then they went to their usual table and ate in silence for a couple of minutes.

"I'll apply for a job at a supermarket or something," Rose continued, "There must be a part-time job fit for me, right?"

“Hmm ... I know about one,” Cass bit her lip, “My parents have a restaurant in the northern part of the district. Our waitress is expecting a baby and cannot continue working with us, so we are looking for someone we can trust. If you want I can talk to them.”

“That would be great!” Rose said, excited by the prospect

“Are you sure? It’s not a sophisticated job and it can be very hard. At some hours of the day we have tons of clients so…”

“I don't care, I need the money and I can do it,” assured the girl

“Then the job is yours,” Cass smiled too, “We will be co-workers. I take turns at the restaurant four days a week”

“That’s even better”

The redhead finished her lunch with renewed happiness and shared her slice of chocolate cake with Cass.

“I almost forget it! Yesterday my cousin told me about something,” she scanned both sides of the cafeteria to make sure no one was hearing, “My cousin is in a gang!”

From the look on Cass's face or rather the lack of surprise in it, Rose realized that her friend knew about it.

“Then you already found out,” said Cass

“You knew about this,” she replied

“Everyone here knows Rose, it's not a secret,” she sighed, “My brother and Scorpius, they’re also in a gang.”

“The same gang as my cousin?”

“Nope, in the rival one”

It wasn't Cass who answered but Scorpius. There was a certain calculating expression on his face that managed to intimidate Rose. His gray eyes rested on her for a few long seconds before moving to Cassandra's.

“Theo won't be able to take you home today so I'll do it, okay?”

Rose noticed his voice take on a protective and caring tone when he spoke to Cassie, and for some reason it saddened her.

“Yes, of course,” her friend agreed

“I’ll wait for you then”

Scorpius gave Rose one last look before walking away. She sighed unable to hold back

“He can be intimidating, right?” Cass smiled

"Quite a bit," she agreed. "So, he and my cousin don't get along?"

“No, they don’t,” Cass blushed, “But I hope that is not an inconvenience for our friendship”.

“Of course it won’t,” she assured her, “You’re the best person I’ve met in this school. I'm not going to stop being your friend because of some silly rivalry between… gangs”.

"It's a bit more complicated than that," Cass explained. "They take this matter very seriously you know? But I don't think they will bother us if we stay out of it, at least that’s what I do. I mean I don't go to the parties or meetings they organize, I don't usually spend time with them or with the girls."

“Girls? Are there girls involved?” Rose asked with surprise

“Not precisely in the gang. They are... like groupies”

She couldn't help but laugh at that.

“Is that so? Wait, that means that my cousin has groupies?”

“Your cousin Albus is one of the most popular guys, so yeah,” she nodded, “Same happens with Scorpius and my brother too. Many girls follow them and well ... you can imagine I think...”

The prospect of girls following Scorpius and getting intimate with him bothered her, but she pushed the idea from her mind for the moment.

"Wait," she said. "Does that mean there is nothing between you and Scorpius?"

“Obviously not,” Cassie laughed, “Scorp is like a brother to me”

“Well, it just that... there's something in him when he's with you”

“He's very protective of me, it's just that. We've been through a lot.”

Rose realized that there were many things involved in that sentence but she didn’t dare to ask.

“So when can I start my new job?” She changed the subject.

“You can start today if you wish. We can go to the restaurant so you can meet my parents.”

“That sounds good.”

She agreed to meet Cassandra after their final class, which would mean that she would also see Scorpius.

The prospect thrilled her even more now that she knew there was nothing going on between him and her friend but a sibling relationship. She said goodbye to Cassie after lunch and spent the last two classes daydreaming about the gray-eyed blonde.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I have some free time these days, next chapter will be published within the next hours.  
> Thank you for the kudos! Please let me know if you enjoyed this chapter.  
> Comments are the food of my soul :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Cass puts Scorpius in an awkward position  
> *Rose has a new job

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Just this fanfiction.

**SCORPIUS**

He'd decided to skip his last class and wait for Cassie in his car, so he pushed the seat back and closed his eyes as he turned on the stereo. The sound of music quickly wrapped him as he was exhausted. He had stayed until after two in the morning in the car workshop, finishing the repairs of a motorcycle for one of his boss's most important clients. It didn't help that when he got home he had to deal with a drunken Astoria.

The boy turned up the volume of the music to silence his thoughts and at some point he must have fallen asleep because he woke up due to a knock on the window. He slowly settled into the seat and saw Cassie outside, smiling at him. Scorpius smiled back at her and she stepped away from the door so he could open it.

“Sorry Cassie yesterday was...”

He fell silent after realizing that Cassandra was not alone. Rose, the redhead, was by her side. Now that she wasn't sitting at one of the cafeteria tables, he noticed how good she looked wearing a green blouse that fit perfectly around her waist, and her breasts.

“Scorp, I told Rose I'd show her mom and dad's restaurant. You can take us there, right?”

He held back a frustrated sigh but gave Cass a look he was sure she would be able to interpret.

“Sorry, I can't take her,” he replied pointing to the redhead with his head

“Scorp please...”

“Cassandra, no,” he insisted and turned to the other girl, who was looking at them with her big brown eyes, “You know very well that I can't do it. I'm not taking the risk of starting a fight for her. No offense,” he added looking at the redhead

To his surprise Rose laughed.

“It's because of your stupid gangs, right?” She replied looking directly into his eyes, which managed to increase his surprise. The few times they had crossed paths, she always seemed quiet, even shy, “Well, if you're not going with us, we'll go on our own. Let’s go, Cassie”

"Cass won't go anywhere alone," Scorpius assured her.

"She won't go alone, she'll go with me," Rose replied.

"Because that's really comforting," he teased before turning to Cass. "Let's go, your parents are waiting for you."

“Scorpius, I promised Rose...”

Whatever explanation Cassandra was about to say was interrupted by Potter's arrival. Scorpius muttered a curse silently, knowing that would happen. Both boys looked at each other defiantly for a few seconds until Potter turned to his cousin.

“Rose what the hell are you doing here with them?”

The angry expression that appeared on the redhead's face delighted Scorpius. The girl was not as docile as he had imagined.

“I was going to go for a walk with Cassandra, my friend,” she replied, “But he didn't want to give us a lift”

“Good for him. I don't want you near him,” Potter added looking at Scorpius

"And I don't give a shit what you want," Malfoy replied.

Albus got dangerously close to him and he did the same, smiling sideways and inviting him to start the fight. He needed to vent some of the frustration he felt and Potter was as good to do so as anyone else.

“Stay away from my cousin or you're going to regret it,” he warned

“Oh really? What will you do, uh, Potter?”

“Scorpius, please, that’s enough”

Cassandra's gentle request brought him back to reality. She hated confrontations and he knew all too well that she also hated being around any of the Gryffindors. He sighed and walked over to her side, putting an arm around her shoulder for a brief second. She was shaking slightly.

"That's right, back off," Potter scoffed. "You're a...”

“Albus Potter!” - Rose finished the conversation, “Cassie, can we talk for a minute?”

Cassandra nodded and approached the redhead. The girls exchanged a few words before she walked over to her cousin and led him to the other end of the parking lot.

Once they were away Cassie got in the car and Scorpius followed her. The boy watched her put on her seat belt and started the engine while turning off the music.

“What the hell were you thinking?” He asked as they left the school

Cassandra sighed before answering.

“I didn't invite her wanting to start a fight Scorp,” she explained, “If I wanted to take her to the restaurant it's because I promised her that she could be the new waitress.”

“That one working as a waitress?” He asked in disbelief.

"Rose needs the job," she agreed. "I thought it would be a good idea for her to work with mom and dad."

“You know that’s not possible Cass,” she shook her head at hearing his words, “It's too complicated and...”

"And it shouldn't be," she crossed her arms, annoyed. "All this gang stuff shouldn't involve us. I’m not an Slytherin and she’s not a Gryffindor. Rose doesn't even know her cousins' friends, she hasn't been to their parties, and I'm sure she won't offer to be with any of them”.

He couldn't help but fell satisfied about that last thing. He hadn't thought about the idea of the redhead dating one of those idiots, but it wasn’t a pleasant perspective.

"I know that but," he said, "You are Theo's sister and you are important to me. She is Potter's cousin. It will _not_ work.”

Cassandra didn't reply and he didn't push the issue further. He parked the car at the entrance of the restaurant and they got out the vehicle together. At that time there weren't many customers in the place, which was good. Scorpius greeted his uncles and sat next to Cass at one of the tables.

"I guess Teddy won't be here anytime soon, huh?" Aunt Tracey sighed as she handed them their beverages

He couldn't help but laugh at the affectionate nickname they used to call his best friend. Cass shook her head and made up an excuse for her brother. Aunt Tracey served them food and they ate in silence as he knew that her friend was still upset by their previous conversation.

Scorpius thanked his uncles for the lunch, and said goodbye to Cassie who was ready to start her shift, before leaving the restaurant and heading towards the building where the Slytherins used to hang out. The first thing he saw when he arrived was Theo snogging Elena on one of the sofas.

“Get a room Teddy,” he said to annoy him because he knew he hated that nickname

“Fuck you,” he answered showing his middle finger before returning to focus on Elena

Scorpius laughed as he sat next to Rygel.

The boy passed him one of his cigarettes, which the blonde was sure contained more than just tobacco, but he turned it down and spent the time listening to the nonsense the boys were talking about until he decided to go for a beer. Rygel offered to accompany him but he declined, he wanted to be alone because he planned to go check on Astoria at her job.

Once out on the street he took a deep breath of fresh air _-or the purest one could get in that part of the district-_ and strode towards the department store. He was almost there when an unmistakable red hair caught his eye. Scorpius stopped in his tracks staring at Rose, who was on the opposite sidewalk looking at the streets, clearly not knowing where she was.

Without thinking too much he crossed the street and approached her. Rose was quickly aware of his presence and he noticed the relief in her eyes.

“Hello again,” she greeted, “Could you tell me where...?”

“What are you doing here?”

Rose sighed in frustration and for the second time that afternoon she looked at him defiantly, “Listen Scorpius, I don't have time for a lecture about the places I can or cannot be so if you're going to help me do it and if not, leave me alone.”

He smiled at the impatience in her voice. He liked this girl very much. She was beautiful but she also had character.

“So?” She asked demanding an answer

“So?” He repeated wanting to annoy her

“Will you help me or not?”

“That depends”

“Depends on what?” She looked at him suspiciously

“On you promising not to return here ever again,” he said

"I can't do that," she replied, “Because I plan to work at Cassie's family restaurant, so you'll see me around here more often."

“That's not a good idea,” he said approaching her, “You don't know these streets and they can be pretty dangerous.”

He was aware of the nervousness in her eyes but her defiant expression remained.

“I know how to take care of myself,” she assured him

“You sure, redhead?”

“Very sure,” she nodded and moved away from him a bit, tilting her head and avoiding looking at his eyes, “I guess I'll find the place on my own.”

Rose started walking and he decided to follow her. It wasn’t difficult for him to reach her and with two strides he was again by her side. She looked at him in surprise.

“Are you going to follow me now?”

“If something happens to you, Cassandra will never forgive me”

“Neither she nor my cousin,” she commented

“I don't care about your cousin,” he shrugged, “Besides nobody would dare to do anything to you here unless they wanted to deal with me”

Rose gave him a half smile and stopped at an intersection.

“To the right,” he said

She followed his directions and they were soon at the restaurant. Cassandra, who seemed to have been waiting for her friend, looked at him suspiciously but finally smiled and thanked him.

Scorpius sat down for a milkshake as Rose chatted with Cassie's parents. From his position he was now able to really look at her. The redhead had a beautiful body, a small waist, and dreamy legs, although he was beginning to really like how challenging she was. That was fun since the girls in his group almost always did whatever he asked of them.

The interview didn't last long but from the happiness on Rose's face he knew she had gotten the job. Even though he knew this would cause a problem with her cousin, he was enthusiastic by the prospect of seeing her more often.

“Scorpius, can you accompany Rose to the bus stop?” Aunt Tracey asked, “Cassandra needs to help me with some orders”

“Yes, sure”

Rose said goodbye to Cass and then joined him. Now that he noticed, her vanilla scent was as attractive as she was.

“I got the job,” she said smiling once they were outside

“I noticed,” He nodded smiling, “Congratulations, I guess”

“It's my first job!” She almost jumped out of joy, “I'm terribly happy”

“I don't think you will feel the same once you have a real shift in the restaurant”

She rolled her eyes but smiled.

"So I'm curious…" she looked at him, "But will Potter let you come here to work?"

“He can't forbid me to do anything”, Rose clarified, “Besides, the place it's not far from home, bus tickets aren't that expensive and he knows I need the job.”

“But you are aware that this is not your cousin's territory...”

“Oh stop with that!” She snorted, “Yes, yes, he said the same to me when I talked to him about this job, but honestly? No one here knows who I am. I'm just a regular girl”

"Don't be so sure about that," Scorpius replied. "Eventually they'll find out you're Potter's cousin and... things can get ugly."

“I thought…” she sighed, “Well I’ll find a way to deal with that”

“What were you about to say?” He wanted to know

“Nothing,” she answered immediately

"Tell me," he asked, placing himself in front of her. They had arrived at the bus stop but he knew they still had a couple minutes of privacy, “Come on, you can tell me”

He looked her straight in the eyes and she blushed but cleared her throat.

“Well I thought that maybe... you could protect me,” she said, “I mean it's a somewhat silly idea but...”

“You want me to protect you?” He asked. She nodded slowly looking vulnerable, “And why, Rose, would I do that? Having you here, so unprotected, is almost a gift... It would be so easy for me to do something to you, something to annoy your cousin. So why would I protect you?”

"Because you're not a bad person," she said quietly. "I've seen you with Cassie. You're not a complete arsehole or a jerk. There is kindness in you.”

He was certainly not expecting that answer. Smiling sideways he lowered his gaze before facing her again.

“You put a lot of faith in me considering that you don't know me”

She shrugged, and he came a little closer but the bus's horn indicating that it was approaching interrupted them. Rose clutched her little bag and stepped into the bus line. Scorpius waited until it was almost her turn to climb up to take her by the arm and turn her towards him.

“I’ll do it,” he said, “You can come and work here without worrying. No one will hurt you.”

“Why…?” The bus driver once again honked the horn

“I like you Rose. That's why,” he smiled, “Now go or you will miss the bus”

Rose got in quickly and he felt her gaze on him as the bus pulled away. Her vanilla scent was gone with her but he was more than sure that she would be very present in his mind tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts so far? Would love to read them :)   
> Have a magical day :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really, really sorry for the delay with this chapter. Life has been very challenging this past month and I've just found some time to translate this chapter. Hopefully you're still interested in this story. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Just this fanfiction.

**ROSE**

She still felt like flying on a fantasy cloud as the bus slowly came to a stop. How could a simple statement have caused such an effect on her? Of course Rose considered herself a romantic girl. Although her only previous experience was with Oliver, a boy from her old school who she date for almost a year. He was sweet and caring; the opposite of Scorpius, who generally seemed distant and sometimes even cold.

Yet the blonde managed to awaken feelings in Rosie that Oliver could not.

The girl sighed at her conflicting feelings and entered the apartment. Hope was lying on the couch sleeping soundly, so she carefully closed the door and went to her room. Hugo was there using her old laptop.

“Hello Hughie,” she greeted sitting next to him, “What are you doing?”

“Just watching cartoons,” he gave her a wide smile

Since the Wi-Fi has been installed, his brother was using the laptop more and more often, and Rose was ok with that, for the internet connection had been a momentary joy for her. Many of her _friends_ on her old Facebook account had disappeared, probably removing her from her virtual life as well. And since seeing the photos of the few people that remained as her virtual contacts was upsetting, she had deleted her account.

“Just try not to use the laptop for too long, okay? Lily probably misses playing with you”

To her surprise Hugo put the laptop aside.

"Lily is on a school trip with Aunt Ginny." He sighed. "Rose, are mom and dad never ever coming back?"

“Oh darling, we have already talked about that,” seeing his watery blue eyes made her heart ache, “Mom and Dad, they are ...”

“In heaven, I know,” he sniffed, “But I miss them so much Rosie. Beside if I ever have a school trip, who would go with me?”

“Hope can go with you,” she proposed, “I can go too”

Hugo hugged her tightly and she cradled him in her arms, stroking his red hair. She felt sadness and admiration for her little brother at the same time. Despite so many changes in the recent months, he seemed to face everything with optimism. He was not a selfish or annoying child. He had embraced his new life with joy.

“How about we go for an ice cream?” Rose proposed, “I've seen an ice cream parlor on the way here”

“Yes, yes please!” The good mood returned to him immediately, “I’ll go fetch Mr. Hugs”

Hugo returned instantly with his teddy bear and they left in silence so as not to wake their older sister. They headed towards the ice cream parlor, humming an old song their Mom used to sing to them.

“ALBUS!”

His brother released her hand and ran to his cousin, who was talking with a small group of friends but turned his face immediately after hearing Hugo's voice. Albus scooped him up and smiled at him, “What are you doing here?” The boy asked

“We came for ice cream. Want to join us?” Rose said

She expected him to say yes, for she needed to talk to him.

“Of course,” he placed Hugo on his shoulders and turned to his friends, “I'll see you guys later”

Hugo monopolized Albus's attention on the way to the ice cream parlor. Once inside the place they sat at a table to wait for their orders.

“Can I play there in the meantime?” Hugo asked pointing towards the playground

“You can go, but just for a bit,” she said

Rose and Albus followed the little boy with their eyes. Once Rose saw him playing in the ball pit she turned her attention back to her cousin.

“There is something I want to tell you,” she started

“Probably something I’m not going to like”

Rose sighed rolling her eyes, “Listen… I got the job at the restaurant. I start tomorrow.”

“I suppose you're talking about a different restaurant, not the one of your friend's parents, right?” He asked in a hard voice and looking at her with a frown, “Because I think I was very clear when I said ...”

“I was also clear when I explained that I am not going to miss an opportunity like this,” she interrupted him, “Albus I know you're trying to protect me but I need the job. The pay is good, it's not something complicated, Cassie's parents are nice people, and it's safe. It will work.”

“Rose ...”

He fell silent because the waitress came over with the ice cream, chuckling at him. Albus however ignored her and Rose took the opportunity to call Hugo.

When the little boy came to the table they changed the subject. The ice cream was good and his brother kept chattering about ordering another.

“Rose,” said Albus, “Did you go alone to the restaurant?”

“Uhum,” she nodded, “I took the bus, followed directions and managed to get there”

The girl noticed Albus's hands gripping the table and he glared at her with his green emerald eyes.

“No one recognized me,” she added, “And people were very friendly. I really liked the atmosphere of the restaurant; besides it’s also a commercial area, very busy and totally safe”

He just growled in response

“And well ... I ran into Scorpius but he behaved very well”

“Malfoy? And what did he want?”

She was aware that Hugo noticed the tension between them.

“Why don't you go play a little more?” She asked, “We can buy another ice cream later”

The boy nodded obediently and ran to the playground. Albus took Hugo’s seat to be closer to Rose

“What did Malfoy want?”

“He was actually very kind,” she felt her face blush and cleared her throat, “He told me that it was ok if I decided to work in the restaurant. He and Cassie are good friends, so he'll take that into consideration and he’s going to help me so no one bothers me during my work hours”

"Yeah right," he snorted. "I don't like that guy, he’s just trouble, believe me. And he is certainly not good for you”.

“Why would you…? You're talking nonsense now, Al”

“Nonsense? I saw the way you looked at him today; I notice how you blush when you talk about him. Listen to me Rose Weasley, he is going to break your heart. He’s not the type of guy who wants a serious relationship”

“How can you possibly know that?” She asked defensively

“There are no secrets here,” he shrugged, “Rose, it’s one thing if you want to work in that restaurant, but falling for him ...

“Hey, easy there,” she laughed nervously, “Scorpius may be… attractive but I don't even like him. I want the job because I have to help Hope financially. It is my duty as a sister, and I need you to understand that, please”

To her surprise Albus nodded.

“I know there’s no point in me forbidding you to do it. I underestimated you when I thought you would listen to me and stay at home. But if you went to the other side of town ... well, you're tougher than I thought.”

“Thank you, dear cousin!” She hugged him tightly and smiled at him

“But there is a condition”

"Oh, I knew this was too good to be true!"

Albus smirked.

“I'll give you a new phone and you're going to have my number on speed dial. You're going to call me if anything happens. Anything, Rose I mean it. If someone is bothering you, if you feel like a person is following you, even if you see suspicious girls, you call me instantly. And when the bus is near here you let me know. I'll come pick you up. You promise?”

“Okay,” she agreed without hesitation partly because she didn't want to fight and partly because her cousin's words made her feel protected, “Thank you Albus”

Hugo came back and then Rose ordered some more ice cream to take home. They parted ways with Albus when they left the ice cream parlor.

The siblings walked to the apartment and Hugo entered laughing happily, handing Hope the ice cream

“You guys should’ve woken me up!” She pouted

“You were sleeping so peacefully,” Rose said, “How did it go, by the way?”

"Oh it was… quite tiring, yeah!" She smiled

Her sister started telling her about her first day at work. Rose listened carefully to every detail about what she had to do, her colleagues at the office and her boss.

“I’ll go watch more cartoons,” Hugo said already running towards the room

“Only for an hour,” Hope shouted, “Then you must do your homework”

The older girl sighed and then Rose noticed a box on the side of the sofa that was crammed with clothes.

“What is all that?”

“Hugo's clothes that no longer fit him,” this time she sighed even louder, “At his age he grows all the time. Almost none of his old clothes fit him; I need to buy him new ones.”

“I can help with that,” she said, “I got a new job”

“What?” She gasped, “But Rosie ...”

“No buts,” she took Hope hand, “You don't have to take care of everything by yourself. I want to help, I have to help.”

“But you're just a child,” she clicked her tongue, “No, Rose, I want you to focus only on your classes. The University is just around the corner and ...”

“I’ll go to a university in over a year. I want to help you. With your salary we can pay the rent, the food and save something. With mine we can buy other things that we need, like Hugo’s clothes”

Hope seemed to consider it for a while.

“What job did you get? Where is this job? It will be only half time, right?”

“Yes, of course. It's in the restaurant of my friend Cassandra's parents. I will work four days a week there”

“Will you have time to do your homework?”

“Yes,” at least that was what she hoped, “Don't worry about that, sister”

“Oh Rosie!” She hugged her, “Thank you very much darling. Though I would prefer for you not to have to work at such a young age”

“I’ll do it with pleasure,” she assured her

“You're a good girl,” Hope caressed her face like her mom used to and smiled at her, “But please if at some point it becomes too heavy, tell me. I don't want you to push yourself too hard. It's my job to take care of you”.

She let Hope cradle her some more. She had missed her sister. Hope had not been very present in recent years due to her trips but she was always on her mind. Maybe she thought something similar because she said.

“I'm sorry I didn't see you guys more when I had the chance,” she sighed, “Especially Hugo. I missed a lot of things of him as a baby.”

“You were busy…”

“I was following my crazy head, as Mom used to say,” She laughed, “But I'm really sorry Rosie. You were just a child when I left home to go to the university and then to follow my dreams but you were always in my memories, you know that right?”

“I know,” Rose smiled, “You were also in mine. I kept the best of you. I love you Hope, and Hugo adores you.”

“I remember his little face when I came back. He only knew me from photos and had no idea who I was.”

“But you conquered his heart instantly. And now you are our rock. You came back as soon as Mom got sick and you took her place in Hugo’s life,” a tear rolled down her sister's cheek, “You're going to be her mom. Maybe you didn't see him take his first steps or… heard his first word, but you're going to be there for her from now on. And that’s what counts”.

Hope hugged her tightly and she reciprocated. Then she went for a couple of spoons and they ate the ice cream together.

“A garage sale,” Rose said all of a sudden

“What?” Hope asked without understanding

“Let's have a garage sale! I have a lot of things that we could sell, we may not get what their real worth but we could raise enough money to buy Hugo new things.”

“But Rosie your belongings are…”

“You sold all yours when the lawyers and the bank took everything from us. I can do the same,” she shrugged, “Besides I wouldn't dare wear a Tiffany's bracelet here. I would be scared.”

They both laughed and Hope nodded.

“Let's do it. If you're sure, let's have the garage sale.”

Much more animated they began to think about creating an ad and began to choose things to sell. Rose didn't really feel sorry for letting go of anything. Rather, she felt cheerful and happy. When she lay down in bed that night, she felt totally satisfied with herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think. Also, new chapter coming in a few hours.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, a new chapter ;)
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Just this fanfiction.

**ROSE**

Rose returned home from high school as fast as she could. She had her shift at the restaurant in an hour and it would be her first day, so she wasn't going to be late. The girl took a quick bath to cool off, slipped on comfortable shoes, a cotton T-shirt, and denim shorts. She tied her red hair into a loose bun and ate the salad Hope had left for her. Her stomach rumbled with nerves as she walked towards the bus stop.

Fortunately the bus arrived without delay and the girl sat in one of the seats at the end. The phone Albus had given her last night rang with a message from him reminding her to let him know when it was time to return to home. She responded with a reassuring message and smiled as she paid attention to the bus route. She was beginning to become familiar with the district and she liked that, because it made her feel independent for the first time in her life.

The bus stopped and she hurried down. To Rose’s surprise, Scorpius was waiting for her in the same place where they had said goodbye last night.

“Hello redhead,” he greeted with a sexy side smile, “Ready to work?”

"Scorpius," she greeted, nodding her head and trying not to denote that her heart was beating violently and that she was worried that he might hear it, “Did Cass told you to wait for me here?”

He laughed, “I came because I wanted to”

The butterflies in her stomach came to life but she tried to ignore them.

“Thank you then,” she said with a soft smile, “We should probably get going, I don’t want to be late for my first day”

Scorpius nodded and walked alongside her. There was a comfortable silence between the two that lasted until they reached the restaurant. Once again he surprised her because, instead of leaving, he entered the place and sat at one of the tables.

“Rose!”

Cassie walked over to her and led her into the kitchen. Once there Rose put on a T-shirt with the restaurant's logo and grabbed a couple of menus. Her first customers were two boys who ordered hamburgers and milkshakes. Fortunately, they didn't order anything that she didn't know as she hadn't had time to study the menu yet.

The first hours of the shift were quite slow but when the night came more people arrived and she had to run from one side to the other. She didn't notice when Scorpius left because she was busy, although she was a little disappointed that he was no longer around.

Close to nine o'clock the rhythm was calmer again, so when her shift ended she put on her shirt and said goodbye to Cassie's parents.

“You were pretty good today,” she said smiling at Rose

“Do you really believe it?” Cass nodded forcefully “Thanks Cass, for all”

“It's nothing,” she smiled at her, “See you tomorrow in class?”

“Yeah, sure, but hey, do you think we can walk together to the bus stop? There is something I would like to tell you”

She hadn't had a chance to tell her what Scorpius had told her yesterday before getting on the bus or to ask her if what Albus had told her about him was true. And Rose was dying to do ask.

“Oh Rose I would love to but,” she looked around nervously, “I have to help mom to clean and ...”

“Right, yes, of course, tomorrow then, Cass”

They hugged before saying goodbye and Rose walked briskly to the bus stop, wishing inwardly that Scorpius was there with her.

Once inside the bus she sent a message to Albus who, as promised, was waiting for her when she arrived. Her cousin asked her the usual questions and she answered as honestly as she could, though she omitted Scorpius waiting for her at the bus stop.

“Well, I have a lot of homework to do, until tomorrow cousin.”

“See you tomorrow Rose”

Albus smiled at her and she entered the apartment. Rose really had to catch up on her homework and although she was tired she focused on the trigonometry exercises. It was close to midnight when she finished, so she took a bath and fell asleep immediately.

The next day at school she couldn't see Cassandra until lunchtime because they didn't have any classes together. Once they had their food trays and were settled at the usual table, she whispered her conversation with Scorpius.

“What?!” Cassie's blue eyes widened in surprise, “Are you serious? Did he tell you he likes you? He really said that?”

The disbelief in Cass's voice amused Rose, but she nodded.

“Wow! I've never… I've never heard him admit that,” she smiled, “This is new but it's good.”

“I really don't know what to think,” the redhead admitted, “I honestly like him, I like him a lot but sometimes he's so ...”

"Distant, reserved?" she suggested and Rose nodded. "Scorp is… tough or at least he may seem like it but he's a great person. He's sweet, funny, loyal, and he deserves a good girl by his side. I'd love for that girl to be you.”

"I'm not going to deny that I would also like that," she felt her face get ashamed. "I never felt anything like this before. I had a boyfriend you know but even though I liked being with him, it doesn't compare to my attraction to Scorpius. He… he's special.”

Cass giggled and Rose tapped her lightly on the shoulder.

“I'll try to find out something, okay?” The brunette proposed

"But without him suspecting anything, please," she asked and Cass nodded. "What about you?"

“What about me”

“Uhum, is there someone you like? Someone special who occupies your heart?”

“No, no, not at all,” she answered immediately, “The truth is that a relationship is not in my plans.”

“Well, I guess eventually someone will make you change your mind”

When lunchtime ended they went to art class together. Honestly, Rose was really bad at painting but Cass was pretty good at it. After that, she told Albus and Hope that she would go directly to the restaurant with her friend, because she wanted to learn the menu so she wouldn't have to always ask everything to Cassie or her parents.

Upon arrival, Cass's dad served them a few slices of a delicious almond cake. With the help of her friend, Rose memorized the specials and the ingredients of some dishes as well as the drinks they served at the restaurant.

Scorpius appeared during the half of her shift and she felt his gaze on her for a long time.

As the days went by, she got used to the rhythm of work on the restaurant. Fortunately, she hadn't had an incident or dropped the dishes, which was one of her fears. Cassie's parents were kind and were beginning to trust her more.

There was also a kind of routine between Scorpius and Rose. He always waited for her to accompany her to the restaurant and they talked about different topics although nothing very personal. A couple of times he had grabbed a few strands of her hair but it didn't seem to be romantic gestures. The truth is that Rose was feeling a little disappointed.

“Rose? Can you take care of that table?” Mrs. Tracey, Cass's mother, asked, “I need to run and buy paper napkins. We’re about to run out.”

“Sure, I'm going right now”

She walked over to the table where four girls were sitting whispering and laughing. All four of them were quite attractive and dressed in very tight and revealing outfits that highlighted their figures.

“Good afternoon,” she greeted, “Can I take your order?”

“You must be Rose,” one of them, a brunette with olive skin and honey eyes, stared firmly at her, “I don't see that you have anything special though”

“Eh, I’m sorry?” She asked without understanding

“What did Scorpius see on you?” A short girl with very black eyes said, “You're not pretty, I don't understand why ...”

“I think I'll give you a moment until you decide what to order,” Rose interrupted.

“You will stay here,” the honey-eyed girl took her arm tightly causing her to gasp, “Listen Rose, I'll be considerate with you because you're new in the district. Scorpius is _my_ boyfriend and I am not going to share him with anyone, do you understand?”

“Listen…”

“Val, her name is Val,” replied the other girl, “Remember her name because she is Scorpius's only girlfriend. So you better leave him alone.”

The other two girls, who hadn't spoken at all, nodded vehemently.

“You are warned,” the brunette released her grip, “Now go and bring us four strawberry milkshakes”

Hearing the nonchalance in her voice, Rose felt for the first time in her life the desire to hit someone, but she forced herself to hold back. She was about to leave when one of the girls of the group hit her with her foot, causing Rose to stumble. Fortunately Cass arrived before she fell.

“What's happening here?” She asked while helping Rose, “Are you okay?”

“Yes, yes, all good”

Cass looked at the quartet of girls suspiciously.

“Cassandra, you must tell your brother to call me!” The short girl screamed

“Elena, if my brother wanted to call you, he would have done so already,” Cass replied with an icy voice before turning to Rose, “I’ll take care of this table.”

She gave her a grateful look and went to the kitchen for a glass of water. So this was being attacked by the collective power of a group of girls. Breathing deeply until she calmed down, she decided to put aside the comments they had made.

“Hey, are you ok?” Cass asked entering the kitchen, “I'm sorry about what just happened”

“It was nothing”

"Those bitches," Cass shook her head, which made Rose laugh because it was the first time she'd heard Cassandra say something like that. "They are bitches! They are obsessed with the boys and ...”

“I understand Cass, believe me, it is fine,” Rose smiled, “Now I'll get on with my job. We'll talk later, yes?”

She continued to focus on finishing her shift, and when it was time to leave, Cass walked her out.

“I will be at your house tomorrow at eight”

“Thanks Cassie,” her friend had offered to help her with the garage sale so she would go early to put prices on things and order everything

“See you tomorrow. I leave you in good hands,” she pointed to something behind Rose

The girl turned and saw Scorpius. Surprise bubbled up inside her and she grinned at him.

“Hi,” she said, “What are you doing here?”

“I will accompany you to take the bus. Let's go”

She nodded and walked beside him. Many questions boiled within her, especially about this Val girl and her friends, but she did not dare to express them.

“So,” he started, “I heard you met Val and the other girls today”

“How do you know that?” She looked at him surprised. He shrugged

“Did they tell you anything? They can be ...”

“Difficult?” Rose proposed

“I was going to say a pain in the ass,” they both laughed, “I hope they didn't bother you.”

“They didn't,” she lied but added on a sudden impulse, “Although Val did mention something ...”

“That she was my girlfriend? She always says that,” he snorted

“Well, is it true?”

“No,” he answered instantly, “I've never had a girlfriend. And if I wanted one, I definitely wouldn't choose Val. She is crazy.”

His comment brought relief and bewilderment in Rose. Talking to Scorpius was always so hard.

“What about tomorrow?” He asked. She looked at him without understanding, “I heard you talking to Cass about something like that”

“Ah! I will have a garage sale at home. You can go if you want”

“Hmm, I don't think I can go,” he admitted, “You know, Slytherin members are not well received in that area.”

“Of course, right, I forgot,” Rose sighed, “Cass will go though”

“She is not exactly a Slytherin”

She nodded without knowing what else to say and because they had already arrived at the bus stop. They were the only ones there so she sat down on the bench and Scorpius settled next to her. His closeness caused her to shudder.

“Are you cold?” He asked with a smile

“Eh no,” she replied blushing

“Too bad. It was a good excuse to hug you”

He smiled at her again before wrapping one of his long arms around her shoulders and pulling her closer to him. Rose felt her heart pump hard and breathed in his manly scent of something that smelled like peppermint and cigarettes.

“You're too pretty,” Scorpius whispered caressing her face with the knuckles of his hand, “And this hair ...”

He untied the bow she was wearing and tangled one of his fingers in her unruly locks, tugging it gently. Rose gasped at the gesture and he brought his eyes to her lips before looking at her, as if asking for permission. He didn't expect her to say anything though and brought their lips together in gentle contact. Softer than Rose would have expected, or desired.

The girl clung to his shoulders and opened her mouth, sucking on Scorpius's lower lip. He moaned against her lips and deepened the contact as he tangled his hands in her hair. Their lips danced in unison until the light from the bus separated them.

He seemed to suddenly remember something and stood up. She mimicked his action and looked up at him expecting him to look at her or say something else, but all that came out was a curt " _good luck at your garage sale"_ before walking away.

Rose got on the bus and sat by a window. Internally she was seething with excitement. That kiss had been incredible. Certainly the best kiss of her life, and Scorpius had been so tender… until it was all over and the charm faded. She muttered a curse. Why did it have to be so damn confusing?

By the time she got home Hugo was asleep and so was Hope. She took a bath and examined her reflection in the mirror, touching her slightly swollen lips. Then she changed into pajamas, set the alarm, and tried to rest.

The next morning she was basically a zombie. Rose hadn't been able to fall asleep until late in the morning, so now she was sipping a cup of coffee while Cass watched the things she was going to sell.

“There are many precious things,” Cassie sighed

“You can have whatever you want,” Rose replied

“No, no, that would not be correct”

Rose preferred not to argue with her friend because she had already pushed something away that she thought Cassie would like. She finished the coffee, and then they began to move the boxes to the main gate of the building, where Albus had set up long tables and Hope had taped a large banner to the wall. Now it only remained to fill everything with the merchandise.

"You look terrible," Albus greeted her with a sideways smile.

“Thank you!” Rose replied rolling her eyes

“So, how else can I help you?”

"Can you and Cassie bring the other boxes that are still in the apartment?"

"Ehh Rose, I…" Cass seemed very nervous as she looked at her cousin.

“Relax kitten, I don't bite,” he replied, “Unless you want me to.”

Albus winked at her and Cassandra's face turned red.

“Albus, enough!” Rose said harshly, “Cassie, you better take care of the price tags, okay? I will go for the boxes”

“That sounds good,” she accepted

Her cousin followed her into the apartment.

“You should tell your friend to relax a bit, she is not ugly,” he said

“Albus,” she warned him

He laughed and set all the boxes down before leaving, claiming that this was a girl thing. Cassie helped her with the labels and then it only remained to wait for buyers.

Fortunately people came. Albus probably had something to do with it because many girls Rose had seen with him and his friends showed up. Her clothes, books and objects were very well received; so by the end of the day they had raised a significant sum of money

“We have to celebrate this!” Hope said happily, “I'll go for Chinese food, what do you guys say?”

Cass and Rose nodded. They were exhausted. Hope went with Hugo for the food and Rose took the opportunity to ask Cass to come to her room.

“I have something for you,” she said, “Actually two things that I think you will like”.

“Rose ...”

"Here" she handed her a box containing a white gold pendant of a mandala. Rose could tell by Cassie’s expression that she liked it

“It's beautiful! Is it ... is it gold?”

“Yup, I think it goes well with you,” the redhead said, “When I went to India with my parents, the saleswoman said it gives protection and provides security.”

Cassie's eyes moistened and Rose had the feeling that she wanted to say something else to her, but her friend just nodded and held her for a brief second.

“Wait, wait, I have something else” Rose said

“Another thing?” Cass screeched

Rose took out a cardboard box from her closet. She had set that dress aside for Cassie the moment she saw it among her things.

"I never had a chance to use it," she said as she opened the box. "It was one of the many that I bought on an outing with mom."

Cassandra gasped as she pulled the dress out of the box.

"Are you ... are you sure? Rose is beautiful!”

The dress was white with straps and a V-neckline. A gray ribbon under the chest gave way to a white skirt with gray tulle. It was really beautiful.

“You could use it for the winter ball,” Rose suggested, “It would be good for us to go and have fun, don't you think?”

“I don't know Rose, dances are not my thing”

“At least think about it, yes?” She nodded, “Come on, now try it on”

“Right now?”

“Yes!”

Cass seemed to hesitate but nodded.

Rose left her room to give her privacy and entered a few minutes later. Cassie looked gorgeous and Rose surprised. Under the many layers of clothing her friend wore, a precious body was hidden. Her breasts were much fuller than Rose's and they fit perfectly around her cleavage. Her long hair fell in graceful waves. She looked like a magazine model.

“What do you think?”

"You look radiant," she admitted, "Cassie, you're so beautiful."

Whatever she was going to answer was interrupted by Albus's sudden arrival.

“Rose I took the tables to…” he stopped short when he saw Cassandra, “Wow. You look ... wow”

Her cousin was speechless and Cass looked on the verge of having a nervous breakdown. It was time to intervene.

“Albus we need privacy,” she said pushing him out of her bedroom, “We'll talk later”

“But Rose ...”

She led him out of her room and Cass hurried to change. Once she had her clothes on she gave an excuse and called her father because she had to go. He picked her up almost immediately and they didn't have time to eat or talk about the kiss with Scorpius.

The truth is that she had noticed before that there was something very strange in Cassie’s behavior. And she was going to find out what it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any thoughts? Ideas? Please let me know! :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Just this fanfiction.

**SCORPIUS**

The sound of something breaking woke him up. His body instantly became alert and he automatically took the knife that was always under his pillow before heading into the living room. Scorpius walked in silence until a groan of pain from Astoria caused him to abandon all precautions.

“Mom, are you hurt?” Asked entering the room and turning on the light

“My baby,” she hiccupped, “I think ... I think I cut myself”

Once again Astoria reeked of alcohol. Clearly she had just come home and judging by the broken vase at her feet, she had stumbled because of how drunk she was, until she crashed with the table and knocked over the object.

The boy helped his mother sit up and examined her leg. The glass from the broken vase had ripped her pantyhose stockings and the cut was barely shallow, nothing to worry about.

“Wait here,” he said, “I'll go get something to heal you”

The woman nodded obediently and the boy went to the bathroom in search of cotton and antiseptic as well as some Band-Aid’s. Scorpius cleaned the wound, applied the adhesive, and helped her go to bed. She murmured that she loved him as he tucked her in and before falling into a deep sleep.

With a sigh he returned to the living room, cleaned the floor, and threw the pieces of glass in the garbage can. Sleep had abandoned him and he knew he would pay dearly for it in the morning, but right now he couldn't sleep even if he wanted to.

The boy had long accepted the fact of Astoria having these moments. He had tried to take her to rehab more than once, but she always gave up the treatment after a couple of meetings. Honestly at this point the little scenes that his mother put on didn't stop him from sleeping.

Now it was Rose who was in his mind instead.

Rose and the kiss they had shared. Hell, that damn kiss. Her lips had felt so good against his. The boy inevitably felt his crotch harden as he remembered the taste of her tongue against his, her hands caressing his shoulders.

Scorpius got to his feet and did some pushups to try remain calm. It took him a while but he succeeded. The redhead however, did not leave his mind. She was damn beautiful with those big brown eyes and wild hair.

That night, like several previous ones, he dreamed of her. When he woke up around seven o'clock he hurried to get to the car workshop on time. His boss was sitting very concentrated reading his newspaper and barely nodded when he saw him. Anyway, he had to finish fixing a car that had hit a utility pole, so he focused on that grateful for the manual work was a distraction from the ideas in his mind.

The hours passed quickly and he was only aware of it because Theo called him to find out if they would have lunch together. The boy said yes, so he changed his work clothes for street clothes and headed to the restaurant. His friend was already there, filling out a crossword in a sports magazine dedicated to basketball, the sport he practiced.

"Teddy," he greeted sitting down next to him. The other boy growled at the nickname, “Where’s your sister?”

"She's with Rose, they had a sale or something like that," he shrugged.

"Ah, right," Scorpius agreed, remembering the invitation she had made him. "It's good, isn't it? That Cassie decided to go. It’s good for her”

"Yes, it is," Theo admitted. "The redhead is a good girl and I know she’s been a positive influence on Cass, so she has my affection for that."

Scorpius tried to smile at his best friend but ended up glaring at him because he hadn't liked the last part of his comment. Theo laughed.

“So it's true,” he said, “You like the redhead”

Teddy whistled in surprise and put his crossword aside, “I heard Val has been acting like a crazy bitch because someone told her they saw you two making out. I told her that couldn't be true because she is still one of the Gryffindor girls. And you are a respected member of Slytherin”.

There was a reproachful tone in his voice that annoyed him. Gang restrictions had never been a problem for Scorpius, mainly because he had had fun with the Slytherin girls in the past, but with Rose it was different. It felt different because he didn't want to just have fun with her.

“It's not Val's business or yours,” he ended up replying

“Scorpius ...”

“I won't talk about it”

“Good. I won't insist then,” Theo shrugged and went back to picking up his crossword. He knew Scorpius’s limits and knew how far to put pressure on his friend, “You are not a little boy and you know what is best for you”.

Once again, Scorpius hated his tone of voice but did not reply. He didn't want to fight with Theo.

Aunt Tracey served the lunch just then and he rushed to eat as he had to go back to the car workshop. After thanking his uncles and saying goodbye to Theo, who was once again in his usual cheerful mood for he was going to meet one of his usual dates shortly, Scorpius left the restaurant.

When he got to the shop he focused squarely on the car he was fixing and forgot all the problems. At dusk and with the work done, he said goodbye to the boss and the other coworkers to go to his department. The place was very quiet, so Astoria should be in the department store or some other place, although for now that did not matter to him. He just wanted to rest, so he kicked off his shoes and collapsed on the bed.

He woke up about three hours later due to several phone calls from Rygel. The boys were waiting for him in the usual meeting building. He muttered a reply and took a quick bath, put on a clean T-shirt, jeans, and left his hair tousled before leaving the house and striding there.

The place was full of laughter and trendy music. Cigarette smoke filled his lungs. His companions were already quite animated, after all it was Saturday.

"The man is here!" Someone shouted although the boy did not recognize the voice

Scorpius smiled at no one in particular, grabbed a cup of beer, and sat on a secluded couch. He wasn't in the mood to party and he certainly didn't want to talk to anyone either. Well ... that wasn’t entirely true. Honestly, he would have liked to be with Rose. The moments spent with her when he picked her up at the bus stop were his favorites. They wouldn’t talk about anything in particular but the presence of the girl used to calm him, made him feel excited and also, she inspired him confidence. He knew that if he shared something with Rose, she would listen to him carefully. She made him feel important. And then there was the cherry taste of her lips that never left his mind. He wanted very much to be able to kiss her, caress her ... she caused in him a craving that no other girl had awakened.

“You’re finally here”

Arms surrounded him before he could react. He didn't have to see the girl's face to know it was Val. She was the only one who dared to do that. The other girls were usually more submissive and waited until he would allow them to touch him.

"Stand back," he growled as he took her by the shoulders and pulled her away from his body. Her presence bothered him.

“Why are you behaving like this Scorp?” She hissed, getting closer to him again, “We used to have so much fun.”

“Yeah, and that was before, but now I'm not interested anymore,” he snapped standing up, “So stop bothering me, or Rose since we talked about it.”

Val stood up. She was tall and with the heels she was using, their faces were almost level.

“So this is all for her. I should have guessed,” Her eyes flared with fury, “Seriously Scorpius, what do you see in her? She is just a naive girl...”

"I'm not going to discuss this with you Valerie. So take what's left of your dignity and go make someone else's life miserable. Stay away from me or Rose or you're going to regret it.”

She seemed to want to reply something but ended up twisting her face and walking away. The boy knew that maybe he shouldn't have been so hard on her, but he had grown tired of making her understand that there was nothing between them.

Scorpius spent the rest of the night apart from everyone and drinking more than was good for him. Usually he didn't like to drink that much for he hated the feeling of not being in control, but tonight it felt good to do so. He was jaded although he was not sure of what.

"Aren’t you taking a girl home tonight?"

Mason Avery, a boy several years older than him and already a Slytherin initiate, sat next to him.

“I never take anyone home,” Scorpius clarified

“You know what I mean,” he smirked.

“I don't feel like tonight”

Avery nodded and took a long sip of his beer before turning to the blonde, “You know? I heard a rumor about you and a Gryffindor girl. I said to myself "it must be a joke, Scorpius is much better than that. He would not mess with one of those girls, much less with a cousin of Potter", am I right?

“I see news travel fast”

“You know how it works,” his tone of voice changed suddenly becoming threatening, “So I ask again, is it true or not?”

“What if it was? What if I do have something with that girl?” He hated being spoken in that way, that authoritative tone that made his blood boil

Mason laughed, finished his beer, and crumpled the paper cup to throw it on the floor.

“We’re going to be watching you,” he warned him, “Neither the bosses nor I like this kind of behavior from you. Remember Scorpius, you are a Slytherin too. And we have helped you many times. Or should we remind you of everything you owe us?”

A jolt of rage ran through Scorpius as he heard Avery's words, but he held himself against the urge to hit him. Avery seemed pleased by his reaction and walked away. Once he was alone, he decided to leave as well. He couldn't stand being in that place anymore.

Astoria was passed out on the couch by the time he arrived, and seeing her in that state made the anger returned. He suddenly wanted to wake her up and yell at her, claim her for having been so weak, for having practically abandoned him to his fate when his father abandoned them, for having taken refuge in alcohol without paying attention to him. Scorpius had had to learn to fend for himself since he was seven, and it was because of that that he had fallen into the control of the Slytherins. And they kept reminding him of that.

He flopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling because, again, sleep was alien to him. He couldn't stop thinking about Rose… and Avery's words. He knew that the previous conversation with Mason had been a threat. He knew that even if he wanted to continue seeing Rose, the gang would forbid him to do it. He knew what the Slytherins were capable of and he had to keep Rose away from any retaliation they might take against her.

Besides, what did he hope to achieve with her? The redhead was beautiful, yes… but what would happen next? He had never been in a relationship. Love only gave problems, caused complications and he did not need that in his life.

By the time morning came he knew he had to cut through whatever he had with Rose at once. It was the best for both her and him because, in the long run, it would only make her suffer, he was sure of that. And she didn't deserve that.

On Sunday he ignored everyone and stayed home, and same happened on Monday. But on Tuesday, after high school he headed over to Val's house. It didn't take long to convince her to forgive him. A couple of caresses, a few kisses and nice words and again she was willing to do anything for him. So he took her to his uncle's restaurant. He knew that Rose was working there that afternoon and he had to act as soon as possible.

When he entered the place with Val and sit in one of the tables, her group of friends chanted like fools and that caught the attention of the redhead. And Scorpius took that opportunity to kiss Val, placing her on his lap and stroking her back. He knew Rose was watching them. And he hated himself when he noticed the pain in the girl's eyes, but he knew he was doing the right thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers, Happy New Year! Hopefully 2021 bring us joy, health and positive things.   
> And also hopefully you liked this chapter.  
> Thoughts? Would love to read them :)  
> A magical year for all of you


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Just this fanfiction.

**ROSE**

She believed that after losing her parents nothing could hurt so much, but she was clearly wrong. The pang in her heart at seeing Scorpius passionately kissing Val managed to fill her eyes with tears, but she hurriedly turned her gaze away from them and walked calmly to one of the tables she had to attend to. She wasn’t going to act affected in front of them. He wouldn't give that pleasure to her… or him.

“Can I take your order?” Asked with a trembling voice to a woman who was with her young son

Rose pretended to write the order in her notebook even though she couldn't really understand anything the woman said, so she headed to the kitchen. Once there, and sheltered from prying eyes, she clung to a metal table full of food and took a deep breath.

“Rose? Are you ok?”

She hugged Cassandra tightly and let a couple of tears roll down her cheeks.

“Rose you're worrying me, what happened?”

“Look for yourself,” she shook her head and pointed to the other side of the door

Cass nervously moved away from her side and looked into the room where the customers were. It took her just a second to locate the reason for her friend's tears, and if she hadn't been so sad, Rose would have found the expression on her face comical.

“Oh Rosie,” she returned to the redhead side and led her to an unoccupied chair, “I'm so sorry. I never ever imagined that Scorpius could ...”

She stopped talking. Rose had previously told her about the kiss she had shared with Scorpius, and Cass seemed genuinely pleased with how things were developing between her closest friends.

“It's not your fault,” she assured her while taking a napkin and wiping her tears

“Scorpius is a huge idiot,” Cass's voice denoted anger, “I never thought he would be able ... I thought it was different with you!”

A sad smile emerged on Rose’s face, “I thought the same but I was clearly wrong,” she stood up and took a deep breath to calm down, “I don't want to keep talking about this anyway, at least not now and not here.”

“You can go home if you prefer,” her friend rushed to say, “I can cover you”

“No, there is no need for that,” although part of her wanted to flee, she wasn’t going to do it, “But could you go to table three and ask that lady with her son their order? I didn't really understand anything she told me.”

“Of course, stay here and don’t worry”

She thanked Cass and took a couple of minutes to calm down, drank some water, made sure she had her notepad with her, and went out to confront them.

Val's noisy friends kept laughing and whispering. And maybe Rose was a little paranoid but she was sure she had heard her name in their conversations. Scorpius ... Scorpius kept hugging Val and she wouldn't stop touching him. Rose felt her venomous gaze on her a few times but never dared to check if it was.

She spent the rest of her shift trying to remain in control, trying not to look at them and concentrating only on the customers. Cassandra, being as nice as ever, attended the tables where Val and her friends were. Scorpius left after a long hour of torture and Rose was able to swallow her feelings until it was time to go home.

It was inevitable not to think of Scorpius as she walked to the bus stop. After all, that journey had become _their_ path. Nor could she stop wondering if she had done something wrong or if it had been her fault in some way. Those thoughts kept tormented her and the crying didn’t take long, although fortunately there were very few passengers on the bus so she didn’t have to endure piteous or curious glances from other people.

When she got off the bus she wiped her face and walked heavily towards home. Her head and chest were aching, and she was truly feeling her heart heavy and in pain. And the fact that her head kept showing her the images of Scorpius and Val kissing didn't help.

“ROSE!”

The girl jumped when she heard her cousin behind her. He looked angry as he approached where she was.

“Why didn't you text me tonight? Rose, you promised that ...” he stopped speaking when he saw her expression, “What happened? Why are you crying? Who the hell made you cry?”

“Calm down Albus, it's nothing,” she replied with a sigh, “I hit my head against the bus window because I was falling asleep, and it was painful so I shed a couple of tears. Not a big deal”

“Uhmm I don’t think it’s just that, you seemed like you cried a lot”

"I had a hard day," she shrugged and started walking. Albus followed her

“Define hard,” he insisted

“Annoying customers”

“I can take care of them if you want,” he proposed

“I don't know whether to feel flatter or feel scared by the way you talk sometimes,” she smiled at him however, “It's nothing Al, seriously, I can handle the clients,” she swallowed, “I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I got off work. I know how much you care. I'm sorry.”

She was expecting for him to keep talking or to make a joke, but against all odds Albus hugged her, and it was hard not to cry over her cousin's sweet gesture. She forced to remain calm or Al would realize there was another reason for her tears, and that would only mean troubles for Scorpius, and even though he had been a jerk, Rose didn't want her cousin's friends to hurt the blonde.

“Are you going home too?” she asked Albus

“Yes, it’s a slow night”

Her cousin put one of his arms around her shoulders and they walked silently up to the building. Before going upstairs, Albus insisted in going to his apartment so Aunt Ginny could give her a painkiller and made her a tea. Rose thanked them both and then ran home because she wanted to be alone. She needed to be alone.

Fortunately her siblings were already asleep, so she took a bath and lay down on her bed, clinging to her pillow, and crying as much as she wanted. She was martyred trying to find explanations for what had happened. Perhaps she lacked the experience Scorpius was looking for in a girl, as clearly he and Val had gone far beyond what Rose had ever had with a boy.

Perhaps, as Albus had warned her, Scorpius just wanted to amuse himself by annoying Albus’ little cousin, and he found no better way than to humiliate her in front of everyone. Rose bit back a moan of rage and pain for the ideas that ran through her head and she cried herself to sleep.

The next morning she woke up with deep dark circles under her eyes. The girl crawled out of bed; feeling very tired, and put her books in the backpack. Before going out to breakfast she took the makeup bag and applied foundation to try to disguise the fact that she had been crying, because she didn’t want uncomfortable questions from her sister.

“Good morning Rosie,” Hugo ran to her and hugged her, “Do you want a toast? I myself spread jam on it”

She smiled when she heard the emotion in the little boy's voice and agreed to his suggestion, willing to eat breakfast in peace with her siblings. From time to time Hope would shoot her worried glances but Rose avoided talking to her by telling her that she had to be early on the school due to an exam. Albus was no longer her ride, as he preferred to take the bus rather than go on his motorcycle; so right now that was a welcome change.

Cassandra was waiting for her at the entrance of the building, her face clearly concerned as she observed Rose’s expression

“I brought you this,” she said handing Rose a box of chocolates, “People often say that chocolate cures everything”

“Thanks Cassie”

“How are you feeling today?”

“I do not know. I think I’m good, or bad, I don't really know,” she sighed as she put a couple of the books in her locker

“I imagine it's complicated,” she sighed too, “I uh ... I tried to talk to Scorpius but he ... was very curt with me. For the first time, to be honest, because he’s usually nice; but he ... he didn't exactly seem very cheerful you know? Maybe…”

"No, Cass, there’s no maybe. Clearly no one forced him to kiss Val. And he knew that I was working at the restaurant yesterday. Look, I know he's like a brother to you, but he was a jerk for doing that to me. And I hate him for it”.

Her voice cracked and she cocked her head, hating feeling that vulnerable.

"I'm not arguing that he behaved like a huge idiot," Cass replied. "I'm just saying that maybe he was scared."

“Scared, scared of what?”

“Of falling in love with you,” Cass looked at her and shrugged, “Theo was telling me that Scorpius confessed him that he liked you very much. And Scorpius… he just doesn't know how to deal with feelings.”

“Well, if he did that out of fear, it only shows that he is a coward.”

Rose excused herself to Cassandra and went to her anatomy class. The words of her best friend, however, haunted her head until lunchtime when they meet again.

“I'm sorry if I upset you Rose, it was not my intention,” she said with a sad voice

“No Cassie, I'm sorry for reacting that way,” she took the brunette’s hand, “The truth is that I don't want to create false expectations you know? I don't want to… I don't like feeling this confused. All this is so complicated and the least I want now are complications. Not when I’m beginning to adjust to this new life. Let's talk about something else please.”

“Sure, as you like”

They took their food trays and went to their usual table. Rose shared the box of chocolates with Cassandra as they discussed going to the movies one of these days.

“Hello lovely ladies, I hope I’m not interrupt anything”

Albus nonchalantly sat next to her cousin and gave them a wide smile that made Rose smile too.

“You are not,” she assured him

“Hmm, were you two perhaps whispering about this?” He placed on the table a flyer for the Winter Ball, “Have you already planned to go shopping and all that activities the girls like to do?”

Rose and Cass giggled.

“You need something?” Rose asked him

“Can’t I stop by to give you a kiss and see how are you doing?” He made a face of feigned indignation as he brought his hand to his chest

"Considering that you haven't done it for a single day in the time I've been studying here, no, I guess not," she retorted scathingly

“I wanted to know if your headache was gone,” he smiled at her

“Headache?” Cass interjected

“Ah yes, yesterday my head hurt a lot after work,” Rose looked at her with wide eyes

Cassie seemed to understand her look because she just nodded and said no more

“I'm fine,” Rose said turning to her cousin, “The pill that Aunt Ginny gave me helped a lot”

"Mmm that's good, I’m glad to hear that" he nodded. "Because your headache has nothing to do with certain rumors I've heard about you and Malfoy, right?" He took a chocolate from the box and removed the wrapper, “You would have told me if that was the case, wouldn't you Rosie?”

"Sure, Albus, I promised you I would," she agreed calmly, maintaining eye contact and feeling internally guilty for lying to him.

“Well then, I guess I have nothing to worry about,” he shot her a glance before shrugging, “Anyway, we can go to the ball together if you want”

“Go to the ball with my cousin as my date?” Rose giggled, “That would be too depressing Albus. Besides, surely you have many girls waiting for you to invite them.”

“I'm not very interested in those things,” he shrugged again, “And it's your first ball here so I thought about asking you.”

“Thanks cousin, really. But if I go I'll go with Cassie,” he looked at the other girl, who smiled at him, “And maybe we'll go alone because we don't have dates. Not yet anyway.”

Albus smiled at her and then turned to Cassie

“Kitten if you go to the ball you should wear that white dress. It suits you very well”

Cassandra's face turned red and she looked away from him. Albus gave Rose a kiss on the top of her head and walked away after reminding her that he could take her home after school.

“What do you think of the idea?” Rose asked Cass when they were alone again

“What idea?” She asked, totally confused

“Well, going to the ball together!” Rose clicked her tongue, exasperated

“Ah I don't know Rose,” Cassie shrugged, “You know I don't like dancing very much”

“Mmm,” the redhead stared at her and moved closer to her friend, “I’ve been meaning to ask you this for a while ... I know you're shy Cassie but sometimes it seems like something is frightening you”

Cassandra turned pale after hearing Rose’s words and looked away. She clearly had touched a sensitive topic.

“I don't want to bother you Cass but if something happens, I want you to know that you can count on me, that I can help you,” she took her hand, “You are so beautiful and such a good person but sometimes you can be so ... absent and disinterested about everything” Cassie looked at her with her big blue eyes, “No, not disinterested,” Rose corrected her words, “You seem to isolate yourself. You never want to accompany me anywhere, you don't like anyone bumping into you in the hallways, and you don't do like to work with anyone else in school projects… Sometimes you even tremble if your brother touches your shoulder. Cass, I want to know, did something happen to you?”

“Rose I really don't want to talk about this, and I'm not going to talk this,” her voice sounded firm but she added, “Please”

“Cassandra ...”

“Please,” she repeated

Rose ended up nodding because she didn't want to keep bothering her but she was going to insist. Her refusal to tell her about whatever was going on made her imagine different explanations, although she prayed internally that it was nothing of what she was thinking of.

 _But I'll find out and I'm going to help her,_ she said internally as they went to literature class. After all, it was better to focus her attention on something other than Scorpius.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll post another chapter 11 as well, currently working on translating it. Please leave a comment, it's helps me to keep going :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter ahead :) 
> 
> Sorry in advance for any mistake 
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Just this fanfiction.

**ROSE**

The weather was finally beginning to change. Summer was gone and the cold wind was coming just in time for the dance, which would be in just a few days.

It had been two weeks since that horrible episode at the restaurant. Two weeks since she had hardly seen Scorpius, as he seemed to avoid her presence at all times. And although his indifference continued to affect her, she was determined not to remain sad. She wasn't going to get depressed about any boy, it wasn't worth it.

In addition, each day, Rose found it more difficult to balance work with studies, although perhaps that was because the winter break was coming after the ball and the teachers were loading them with homework. But Rose was not discouraged, because she liked receiving payment for her effort. It was quite rewarding to be independent.

A few giggles brought her out of her thoughts. The girl raised her head and looked toward the door at the exact moment to see Val and her stupid friends enter. She rolled her eyes in annoyance. Why out of all the bathrooms in the school had she had to enter this one?

Her gazes met and a hideous smile crossed Val’s face as she set her purse on the bathroom counter and falsely arranged the waves of her hair in front of the mirror.

"Did I tell you guys that Scorpius was very romantic when he asked me to go to the ball together?" Val asked in an outrageously high tone of voice, “He brought me a bouquet of red roses just to spoil me”

“You’re so lucky,” Elena, her friend, squealed like a little girl, “Scorpius is so sweet ... I wish Theo had those details with me too”

“That’s not important **,** tell us more Val,” bet another

“Well ... Scorpius was very affectionate while asking about the ball,” she continued, “Then we went to have fun for a while,” Val laughed softly, “We went to that new place on the outskirts of the district. It has very comfortable rooms.”

Her stomach fluttered with nausea but she kept her expression serene. She had to get out of there though. Rose dried her hands with a paper towel and took her backpack.

“What about you Rose?” Val asked when he saw her walking towards the door, “Who are you going to the winter ball with?”

“Nobody you care,” she replied

“You’re right about that,” Val answered turning around and looking at her with the triumph clearly painted in her expression, “Although something tells me that you will stay at home crying like the loser you are.”

“Even if that were true, it’s none of your business,” the redhead took a few steps towards Val. The rage accumulated by weeks boiled inside her. She was sick of Val's attitude and her comments, “So stop messing with my life and go leave your poison somewhere else”

A couple of her friends gasped but Val only increased her smile.

“So now you show the claws,” she hissed, “I knew you weren’t as innocent as you looked”

“I will not continue tolerating your attitude. Leave me alone, you already have Scorpius so go take good care of him. You two totally deserve each other”

Without waiting for her answer, Rose left the bathroom. Anger still flowed through her body so she headed straight to the cafeteria, for she knew she would find her cousin there.

Albus and his friends were being very loud at their usual table. Rose walked decisively towards him and didn't mind the whistles and honeyed comments from some of his Gryffindor mates.

“Al, can we talk?” She asked

Albus nodded and immediately stepped off the edge of the table where he had been sitting. With one look from him the compliments of his friends stopped. If she weren't so upset, she would even have found that funny.

“Did something happen?” He wanted to know

"Kind of," she admitted "Well ... the ball is in a few days and Cassandra is not going to assist so I thought that maybe you could introduce me to one of your friends and well ... get me a date for the night”

Rose’s voice finally faltered with embarrassment and she felt her face blush. She knew that maybe it was silly to ask her cousin to set up a date for her, just to upset Val but she didn't want to give her the pleasure of not going to the dance or showing up alone. She was going to go to that damn ball and she was going to look much better than Val that night.

“A date?” Albus seemed confused but at least there was no trace of mockery in his voice. "And you can't just go with me?"

“Oh Albus, that would be utterly depressing,” she sighed

“Mmm I don't know,” he seemed reluctant to do it as he looked at his friends, “I don't think it's a good idea ...”

“Come on cousin! Please, please,” she pouted and he smiled, “I just need a partner for the dance. I’m not asking for anything else.”

“Just for the dance, huh? Nothing more than that,” he looked at her suspiciously and she blushed even more.

"I'm not going to do anything you're thinking about," she hit him on the shoulder

“Good, because then I would have to bit the shit out of one of my friends,” he widened his smile but then he hesitated, “If Andrew were still alive I would have pick him without hesitation.”

She felt a lump in her throat at hearing the pain in her cousin's voice, so she grabbed his hand, trying to comfort him

"Never mind," he shook his head. "Let's see… um… I guess you could go with David Creevey. He is a good guy”

“Which one is David?” She asked curious

“The one over there”

Albus pointed to a tall boy with honey-colored hair and green eyes. He was tremendously handsome, although in a soft style, and Rose couldn’t imagine him as part of a gang.

"He's cute," she nodded.

"I guess," Her cousin shrugged, "Let's meet in the parking lot at the end of class, I'll introduce you to him there. But hey, don't expect a limo picking you up or flowers or things like that."

His mocking tone had returned so she stuck her tongue out at him before pulling away.

As she took out a tray of food she wished Cassie were there. It was Wednesday but she had a family engagement or something like that, so she had skipped classes. Her brother and Scorpius weren't in school either.

Classes went by tremendously slow but when the exit bell finally rang her stomach was bursting with excitement. Honestly for the past few hours she was cowering for having asked Albus to do something so foolish, but now she couldn't back down. Besides, even if Scorpius had turned out to be a jerk, David was not. Or he didn't seem to be.

Albus and David were waiting for her next to the motorcycle. Rose felt her face redden. Was it just her or everything look too forced?

“Hi,” she greeted Albus with a kiss

“Rose, I wanted to introduce you to David. He was very interested to meet you,” Albus chuckled but David didn't seem to mind his comment, “David this is my cousin Rose”.

“Hello Rose, it's good to finally meet you,” his voice was hoarse and contrasted with his face, which in a way made him even more attractive

“Hi David,” she greeted him with a nod

“David is going to take you home because I have to do some things,” said Albus

“If that's okay with you, of course,” the other boy hastened to add

“Ah… yes, of course, thanks”

Albus kissed her goodbye and did a strange handshake with David. When they were alone, he turned to her.

“My car is over there,” he pointed to a black vehicle parked nearby, “Can I help you with the backpack?”

“Sure thanks”

David took her backpack and they walked in silence. Once she was seated, she noticed that he had a Gryffindor lion hanging from the rear view mirror.

“Do you like it?” He asked when noticing that she was staring at the symbol

“It's beautiful,” she agreed, “Although it scares me, if I'm honest”

“Because of the gang?”

“Uhum”

David nodded and then added, “Rose?” She turned to him, “I know we hardly know each other but would you like to go with me to the Winter Ball?”

“You know David? I would like it very much,” she smiled, “It would be a good way to get to know each other better.”

He laughed, and the conversation lightened the rest of the way.

“I'll pick you up Saturday,” he said when he parked the car, “At nine, is that okay?”

“Perfect,” she smiled, “It was good to meet you David Creevey”

“So I say Rose Weasley”

She said goodbye to him with a kiss on the cheek and entered the building.

David seemed to be a good boy and he liked her. Of course it was nothing like the way she felt with Scorpius, but it was a start. At least now she was hoping to enjoy the ball in the company of someone nice.

Once in the apartment she hurried to get ready to go to work. Fortunately Cassie was already at the restaurant. Rose was quick to tell her everything she had missed as there weren't many customers yet.

“David Creevey? Mmm I think I know him," she agreed, "Are you sure you want to go with him Rose?”

"He caused me a good impression," she shrugged as she cleaned one of the tables. "He was quite polite and my cousin trusts him."

“Yes well ... sometimes you don't get to know a person at all,” Cass refused Rose’s inquisitive look, “They may seem reliable but internally they are very different”

“What makes you say that?” Rose wanted to know

“I just want you to be careful, okay?” asked her friend

"I will, don't worry," she assured the other girl, "Although it would be nice if you were with me too. We could even have fun ...”

“I don't think so,” Cass shook her head; “I can go with you to buy the dress, though. Mom will give us the Friday afternoon free to go shopping.”

“Seriously? That’s amazing!”

They didn't have much time to talk after that, but when her shift was over she felt a lot more positive. She had the prospect of a good date, a girls' outing, and a day off as well.

She told Albus that the bus was near her stop and he replied that he couldn't accompany her this time, so she went straight home. Hope was going through some papers when she walked into the apartment.

“Hi Rosie, how are you?” Asked her sister

The redhead went over to give her a kiss.

“Do you need help?” She offered

“No, it's not complicated, just boring,” she smiled at Rose, “Can you sit? I'd like to talk with you”

“Oh oh,” she clicked her tongue, “Is something wrong?”

“No, no, don't be alarmed,” Hope looked at her and sighed, “It's just that these days you've been very quiet and you hardly spend time with us. Even Hugo told me that you no longer played with him ... so I wanted to know if everything was alright with you.”

“Everything is fine”

“Today afternoon I saw you arrive in a boy's car ...”

“Ah!” She laughed, “He's just a friend. He is friends with Albus too.”

Hope nodded and stopped checking her documents to look at her sister.

“You're more animated today,” she commented, “Were you having problems with that friend? A fight maybe?”

“Eh ... big sister, I'm fine, seriously,” she took her hand, “I appreciate that you worry but there is nothing going on. I was just pretty busy with school and work. I'm sorry if I worried you.”

Hope sighed and seemed to give up. Rose was a bit saddened by her expression but she didn't feel like telling her sister about Scorpius or David. At least not now.

“It's okay. But I'm here ok? You can trust me”

“I know that Hope,” she stood up and hugged her, “I'll be in my room, I have tons of homework”

“Fine, I love you Rosie.”

The girl went to her room and she fell asleep almost immediately with how tired she was.

*******

Since she had arranged to meet Cass to go shopping for the dress, Rose took some of the money she had saved and met her at the restaurant.

“Have fun!” Mrs. Tracey told them before dismissing them

Cassandra led her to a busy street where there were different dress stores.

“I suppose they're not like the ones you're used to,” Cassie said, “But I think they're pretty”

"They are," Rose accepted, “Look at this one…”

It didn't take long to find the ideal dress because she fell in love with one once she saw it. It was gold and had no cleavage, but covered her chest albeit in a rather elegant way. The skirt fell in soft pleats to her ankles. She knew she should buy it as soon as she saw how it fit her body.

“You look beautiful,” Cassie smiled, “You are going to look amazing that night”

They paid for the garment and then went for pizza. They also decided to go to the movies and Cass offered to fix her hair for the ball. Mr. Nott stopped by and then dropped Rose at home.

“Thanks for today Cassandra,” he said, “See you tomorrow. Goodbye Mr. Nott.”

“Goodbye Rose,” they said almost in unison

Hope was very excited to see the dress and they spent the remainder of the night searching for hairstyles that might go well with Rose’s face. The girl felt at peace after spending those moments with her older sister, thinking only about typical feminine stuff and excited by the prospect of dancing.

After a while Hugo got into her bed and she agreed to watch a movie with him. They fell asleep together, and since she wasn't supposed to work the next morning, Rose made breakfast for her siblings.

“What time are you going to the dance?” Hope wanted to know

"At 9 o'clock," she replied while she ate one of the pancakes she had prepared. They were good, “Will I have a curfew?”

“Of course you'll have a curfew,” Hope smiled at her, “Mmm let's see ... what about three in the morning?”

“Three sounds good,” she hugged her sister and smiled at her

“I like to see you happy Rosie,” she said, “But please be careful and be good.”

“Of course I'll be good Hope. And I don't need the talk, okay? I already know everything I'm supposed to know.”

Hope laughed and Hugo asked what talk they were talking about but they diverted their attention to a possible family picnic.

Later in the afternoon her siblings went out for a walk and she stayed reading in her room. After a while Cass came and started working on her hair. She let most of it loose, creating soft waves, and braiding a few strands.

“Cassie! It looks amazing, thanks!” Rose gasped when she saw the final result

She smiled shyly, “Go put your dress on; you're going to look stunning.”

The redhead changed the clothes she was wearing for her dress and put on sandals in the same gold tone that had enough heels to highlight her figure. Cassie applied makeup as well, and Rose was pleased with the end result. She felt very good. She felt beauty.

“Your date has arrived!” announced her sister

“Come on, go, go ... go have fun,” Cassie hugged her, “Have a good time and ignore everything and everyone, okay?”

She knew she was referring to Scorpius and Val, so she nodded and put her phone in her small bag. She said goodbye to Hope and Hugo and waited for David to ring the bell. Hope greeted him kindly and didn't insist on taking a photograph of them together, which was a relief.

“You look beautiful Rose,” David said with a smile

And he didn't look bad at all in a white shirt and a thin black tie. His hair was neatly combed and he smelled great **.** He also had brought a corsage that combined very well with her dress.

“Thank you David,” she smiled putting the corsage on her wrist, “You look very handsome.”

They said goodbye to the girls and David helped her into the car. They arrived at the school in a few minutes. The dance would be in the gym and the truth is that the managers had done a great job at transforming the premises. There was a nice atmosphere with dim lights and upbeat music.

“Do you want something to drink?” Asked David

“Not now”

They went to where Albus was with his friends. Neither of them had brought a date and yet they didn't seem affected by it. Even more ... many of the girls who did have companions looked at them without caring about their dates.

“Cousin,” he greeted her, “Lovely as always.”

“Thank you”

"Be good, huh Creevey?" He greeted her date

David ignored him and asked her to dance, and Rose accepted.

The boy was a good dancer and they hooked up with other couples already on the dance floor. David placed her hand gently on her back and she liked the feeling, though the fire she felt when Scorpius touched her wasn't there.

Thinking of him she couldn't help but look around the place searching for him. It didn't take long for her to find him, mainly because he was staring at her. Rose held his gaze for a few seconds and then looked for Val, but the girl wasn't with him. She was actually at the other end of the gym with her noisy friends, looking clearly upset. That pleased Rose.

After several songs they went to drink punch. David was quite funny and at no point did he try anything else or seek more intimate contact, for what she was relieved and grateful.

By the time they got back on the dance floor, the DJ was playing slow, romantic songs. David looked at her, as if asking for her permission and she nodded; so she gently clung to his body and danced. She felt Scorpius's gaze on her once again, but tried not to think about that. As her cousin and his friends had disappeared, she took advantage of it to rest her head on David's chest.

But suddenly after she did so, strong arms pulled her away from her date. Rose gasped with surprise and then met Scorpius, who was staring at her with his deep gray eyes filled with anger.

“Come with me, we have to talk,” he said

“What's wrong with you? Leave me alone, Scorpius!” She tried to get out of his grip

“Leave her alone,” David placed between the two and faced the blonde

“Stay out of this,” Scorpius roared pushing him and making David stumble

“Enough!” Rose blurted out. The other students were looking at them with curiosity and concern. Albus would soon find out and that would only cause problems, “Scorpius go away. I don't want to talk to you, go back with ...”

“I need to talk to you; I need to explain,” he asked, “Rose please ...”

“She already said,” David intervened

“Back away, this is my last warning,” Scorpius faced him again

Neither of them seemed ready to back up, especially Scorpius who had his gaze full of fury fixed on David. Rose sighed. She wasn't going to let his dangerous friends get into this. She didn't want violence.

“David, I'll talk to him,” she told her date

“But Rose I can't ...”

“Let’s go,” Scorpius took her hand without waiting for the other boy to finish

"Please, just give me a minute," she asked David. "And don't bring Albus into this."

He seemed to think about it but in the end he nodded. Scorpius pulled her out of the ball and led her out the back door of the gym. The cold winter wind hit her squarely in the face and she shuddered.

“Why the hell did you come with that guy to the ball?!” Scorpius asked when they were away from the bustle

“What does it matter to you?” She replied angrily too

“Rose ...”

“Scorpius if I agreed to talk to you it was because I don’t want any trouble, that’s all. But I don't owe you any damn explanation; I'm free to come to this ball with whomever I want!”

“Well, then you should have come with me. Just with me,” he moved closer until their bodies brushed and she could feel his breath on her forehead

She couldn't help laughing, though.

“Come with you? Really?” She pushed him, trying to get him away for her, “You kissed Val in front of me! You've been dating her even though you said you like me! That you kissed me!”

Scorpius fell silent and looked away.

"I miss you," he suddenly blurted out and she froze. "I like you more than what’s best for us, Rose **.** You don't know ... damn it. I think of you all day, I hate seeing you at school and not being able to get close to you ... That kiss ... You have no idea how much I think about that kiss.”

She backed away even though her heart wanted to run to him and hug him.

"You humiliated me Scorpius,” although she tried to keep her voice steady it sounded more affected than she wanted. "You kissed her in front of me ... even after you said you liked me. And I've had to endure the teasing of those stupid girls ever since,” he mumbled a curse and tried to get closer but Rose pushed him away once more, “No, I don't want you to get close. I'm… it's fucking confusing! Everything with you is fucking confusing! One day you're nice and the next you're not, you say you want something with me and then you act doing the opposite. What am I supposed to think?”

“I want to explain Rose but it's ... there's so much you don't know about me”

Scorpius kicked a can he found on the street. Rose flinched and felt tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I hate to see you with that guy," he said. "And you were hugging him. What was I supposed to do? Wait until you kiss him, until he takes you away from me?”

“You keep me away from you,” she replied shaking her head, “You and only you,” Rose hit his chest hard, venting, “I'm tired Scorpius ... seriously ...”

“Rose give me a chance, please.”

“I can't Scorpius. I do not trust you”

Her statement seemed to hit him in some way because a wince crossed her face.

“Would you rather be with him then? With that Creevey guy?” He pointed towards the dance

“I just want to be at peace!” She screamed, “I want to be with someone who I know is not going to change me for another girl the next day. I want ..." She shook her head, “Go back to Val, Scorpius. Go with her.”

“I don't want her,” he growled, “I only did that because ...”

"Because you're an asshole," she proposed and he nodded.

They fell silent after that. He didn't try to get close to her and, honestly, Rose didn't feel like going back to the ball, either.

“Could you do me one last favor?” She asked. He looked at her, “Can you tell David I'll go home? I have no head to go back to the dance”

“You are leaving home alone?”

“I'll be fine”

“I’ll go with you”

“No, you will not, "she said in a firm voice, “I need to think. I'll take a taxi and leave. Please.”

He ended up reluctantly agreeing and she watched him enter the gym.

Rose almost ran away when she was alone. Tears clouded her vision but she continued to move forward. She wanted to be alone and think about everything. Damn Scorpius. He had ruined a good night.

And yet… his words continued to haunt her head and confuse her heart.

What if he really liked her? What if for some stupid reason he had decided to push her away? It was all so confusing! She was about to fall due to a stone in the pavement, so she stopped to figure out where she was and to wait for a taxi.

It was then that she heard the footsteps and the laughter.

She turned her face away, scared. Men were approaching her and the recommendation Albus had given her when he learned of her new job crossed her mind. She took her phone with shaking hands and started walking away from them. She expected them to stop, but as she quickened her pace it was clear that they were following her.

With her heart pouting inside her chest, she tried to unlock the phone but something - or rather someone - made her fall, pushing her hard from behind. Her purse and her phone flew to the other side of the street, and she felt a shooting pain in her knee. What was happening?

“Well hello precious”

The guys behind Rose approached her and helped her incorporated her carelessly. They were wearing black masks and her heart skipped a beat in terror; a fourth man, the one who had caused her fall, joined them and kicked her phone even further.

“Don't worry pretty thing, nothing's going to happen to you,” he took a deep breath of his cigarette before throwing it out and putting it out, “We're just going to play for a bit”

“Don’t touch me! I want to leave!” Rose yelled

They laughed out loud when they heard her words. The girl kept screaming and one of them punched her so hard that made the tears come back. _Keep calm,_ she told herself internally, " _Keep calm_."

But instinct took over, so she kicked and struggled against them, only they were stronger.

“Calm down pretty thing, calm down,” laughed one of them

Out of nowhere a van pulled up near them and they started dragging her. It was no use in yelling because the strongest of the men threw Rose against the truck and then pulled her hair, threatening her to stop screaming. When the van started to move she knew she was in trouble.

This time she was in serious trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Are corsages still a thing in school balls? If is not anymore, I'm sorry about that.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scorpius finds out about Rose's disappearing.  
> Albus threatens Scorpius.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Just this fanfiction.

**SCORPIUS**

Scorpius quickly emptied the glass of punch in his hand, although he wished he had something stronger to drink at the moment. Why the hell had he had to talk to Rose? He had only managed to screw things up even more. Worse than that, he had hurt her and ruined her night.

David, the guy she'd come with, kept glaring at him from across the gym. What exactly did Rose find interesting about him? It was a mystery for Scorpius.

“You look like you want to punch someone,” Theo walked over to where his best friend was. He seemed happy, probably after having fun with one of his girls, “Is it about Rose?” Nott continued

“She is not here”

"I saw her arrive with David Creevey." He looked at Malfoy, examining his reaction.

Perhaps Theo expected Scorpius to say something else but he remained silent. He wasn't going to open his heart to him or some shit like that. Theo was his best friend but he didn't seem to understand this situation. Even he didn't quite understand what he was feeling.

He only knew that these last few weeks had been the most difficult of his life, without being able to be near Rose or to speak to her. And tonight, watching her having fun with another guy, it had been especially hard. That had literally taken him to hell.

“Scorpius ... Scorpius”

Theo's voice was urgent and he lifted his face just in time to see Potter approaching him furiously. The blonde couldn't help the shove he gave him even though he managed not to stumble.

“Where the hell is my cousin?!” shouted Albus

“Get out of here Potter,” Theo ran to stand between the two of them

"Fuck you Nott," he snapped pushing him back and focusing on Scorpius. "Tell me where the hell is Rose!"

“I don't know what the fuck you're talking about Potter,” he replied

“Her date told me that she was talking to you outside. And that was over a damn hour ago! My cousin is not at home and I can't find her anywhere”

His heart stopped after hearing those words and his blood ran cold. The boy cursed out loud and squeezed the paper cup that he still held in his hands.

"I shouldn't have let her go alone," he blurted out as he hit the wall behind him.

"You're damn right," Potter leaned dangerously close to him, "So now tell me. Where the hell is my cousin?”

“I have no idea,” he replied

“I don't believe you. You were the last to see her!”

"I don't deny that." He also approached Potter, their faces dangerously close now, “But our conversation didn't end well and she asked me to leave her alone. She said she was going back home.”

"Well, that certainly didn’t’ happen," Potter snapped. I noticed his hand moving to his pocket, where he probably kept some kind of weapon, “What the hell did you tell her? What did you do to her?”

“Listen to me Potter, I don't give a shit if you don't believe me but I would never, ever hurt Rose,” he also reached for the blade he always carried with him, “So either you decide to listen to me or you get out of my way because I'll go look for her.”

Something in his voice seemed to make Albus hesitate because even though he glared at Scorpius, he ended up pulling away and started walking towards the exit door. The blonde went after him.

“Have you tried to call her?”

“You think I'm stupid? It was the first thing I did," he growled, "but she never answered. And Rose always responds instantly.”

“Dammit”

“Why don’t you call Cassie? Maybe she's with her”, proposed Theo

Potter nodded and watched him dialed Cassie's number. As the ringtone rang he was internally begging for Rose to be with her. He didn't even want to think that something had happened to the redhead… especially not because of his negligence.

“Scorpius?” Cassie's soft voice sounded like he had interrupted her sleep

“Hey Cass, is Rose with you?” He asked

“Rose? No… isn't she supposed to be at the ball?” She was immediately alert

“She was here but ... she decided to leave and we can’t find her anywhere,” Albus's expression fell as he understood that her cousin was not with her friend, “Cass I have to ...”

"Don't you dare to hang up on me Scorpius Malfoy" She exclaimed in a firm voice, “Tell me where are you and I’ll meet you there”

“Cassandra ...”

“Tell me where you are.”

The boy told her to meet them at the main entrance of the school while he, Potter and Theo looked around. That didn't take long though, and in the end they still had no idea where Rose was.

Scorpius asked Theo to continue searching for the redhead and he agreed to check the area again with a couple of friends.

“Dammit!” Potter kicked an empty beer can a few minutes later. "Why the fuck did you have to take my cousin out of the gym? What did you say to her?”

Scorpius was silent and that seemed to exasperate him. He knew he was going to hit him before Albus did it, but it didn't cross his mind to defend himself. He deserved those hits. He knew how dangerous the area could be, he knew firsthand the things that could happen to an unaccompanied girl… and yet he had let her go. He was the biggest idiot.

Potter's fist slammed into his jaw and a couple more blows followed and he continued to receive them in silence.

“No! Enough, that’s enough,” Cassie's voice broke the silence of the street

Potter didn't stop and continued to hit him, causing him to fall to his knees.

“Albus, please stop!”

Cass took Potter by the arm and although she didn't have enough strength to push him back he seemed to hear her because he stopped.

“This isn’t helping, please Albus,” Cass pushed Potter away, “I know you must be worried but use your energy in looking for Rose, not in hitting Scorpius”

“He is responsible for all this!” Potter hissed angrily.

To her surprise, Cass didn't seem intimidated by the boy’s anger but instead took a few more steps in his direction.

“Let's find Rose, forget about this stupid fight for now,” she asked and then added, “Now give me your phone”

“Why do you need my…?”

"Just give it to me," she demanded. Potter handed her the device and the girl started tapping the screen, “Rose always has the GPS on because she doesn't know the area very well. She told me that you bought her the phone so it's good news that you picked one just like yours because we can use it to track Rose's.”

Both boys seemed astonished but Cassie wasted no time explaining her words. She started walking and they followed her through the streets that led them back to the gym, not too far from where Scorpius and Rose had said goodbye after their conversation.

“Hmmm this is strange," she turned to face the boys, "She is supposed to be here but ...”

"But there's no one here," Potter said clearly exasperated.

“I'm going to call her,” Cass proposed

She put the call on speaker and a few seconds later they heard a ringtone

"It's Rose's!" Cassie gasped

The three of them hurriedly ran in the direction of the sound but upon arrival, there was no one there either.

“There!”

Potter ran to the opposite sidewalk and returned with Rose's purse. Cass inhaled heavily at realizing that the purse was broken and the phone had been left with it.

“Oh no,” she sobbed covering her face with her hands

Potter released a torrent of curses and Scorpius's world started reeling under his feet. What had happened to Rose? Why were her belongings abandoned in the middle of the street?

He looked helplessly at Cassandra and she seemed to feel his gaze. There was fear in her eyes.

Fear and pain… No. He couldn't, he didn't want to imagine something happening to Rose. He wasn't going to be able to bear going through all of that again, not with his redhead.

“ROSE! ROSE!” Potter screamed in despair and ran through the nearby alleys. Scorpius continued to stare at the bag as if it could tell him what had happened.

_Clues, search for clues._

The rational side of his brain began to work and he started pacing the street. There were no traces of blood, which was a good sign. There were also no broken bottles or any other signs of struggle, just the purse and the phone. Probably the sons of bitches who had taken Rose had thrown her things on the opposite site to prevent her from alerting anyone.

He went to the opposite sidewalk from where the bag was discovered and searched the place. A cigarette butt caught his eye. The boy took it in his hands and just by smelling it he noticed that it contained more than just nicotine. But there was something else… something else that made this cigarette unique.

"Cassandra," he called in a low voice. She approached immediately, “Do you recognize this wrap?”

“What?” She looked at him without understanding

“Look at this, please”, he insisted

Cass took the cigarette butt in her hands and studied it for a few seconds.

"It looks like…" Cass frowned. "Isn't it… isn't that strange maroon paper that Rygel always brags about stealing from his work?"

“I thought so too,” he agreed, “Rygel is the only one who covers his crap in that paper. Also, this cigar has pot in it and he’s always using that shit”

“But Scorpius ... this could be from days ago or ...”

"No, it's recent," he put the cigarette butt in his pocket, "If he's the one who did this… fuck! An Slytherin is the one behind Rose’s disappearing ...”

Scorpius fell silent because Potter came back to them and he wasn't going to let him know about his discovery. If he had to fix this matter and at the same time teach his people a lesson, he would do it alone. Besides, Potter's presence would only cause problems.

“We should separate,” Cassie proposed suddenly, “Scorpius can search the area of the factories and Albus ... you and I could go to the hospitals. Maybe Rose had an accident or an emergency”

“I don’t know…”

"We must rule out all possibilities," she assured, "And we also cover more ground that way”

“I think it's for the best,” Scorpius bet

Potter ended up accepting. He took his phone to make some calls and Scorpius led Cassie to the other side.

“You'll be fine? Alone with him, I mean”

“Albus is not a bad person,” she assured him, “Besides I’m doing this for Rose. We better find her as soon as possible. I don't want to… no… Just find her. I'll be fine.”

“Are you sure Cass? Cause I could tell Theo to come back and join you”

"I think we both know that that wouldn’t be a good idea." Cass turned and looked briefly at Potter. "He cares about Rose, I'm sure of that. I'll be fine.”

Cassandra shyly reached her hand towards Scorpius's and grabbed it for a few seconds. He looked at her, surprised for the contact, and she nodded. Scorpius mimicked her action and wasted no time heading toward the garage where he knew Rygel and his friends were meeting. The place reeked of alcohol as there seemed to be a party. He entered without knocking and went straight to one of the boys.

“Turn off that damn thing,” he ordered pointing to the stereo

The music stopped and everyone stared at him in surprise. A quick sweep of the place was enough to tell him that Rygel was not among them, which only fueled his suspicions.

“Get out”, he said to a group of hookers who were there, “Now”

“Malfoy is in a bad mood, you heard him, get out”

Dante Goyle, one of Rygel's friends approached Scorpius.

“What's wrong Scorp? What…?

Dante didn't finish speaking because the blonde grabbed him by the jacket and pushed him against the wall. Although Goyle was considerably taller and larger, he didn't dare stand up to the boy. The others murmured, surprised at the scene, but did not come near.

“You will tell me right now where I can find Rygel”

“No ... we don't know,” Dante replied nervously

"I'm not going to repeat it," Scorpius hissed. "So tell me what you know or this won’t be pretty”

“Scorpius I ... I don't know...”

“NOW”

He fixed his dark gray gaze on him, who looked scared to death.

"Scorpius… Rygel said that he had… that he had some business to take care of. He didn't say where he was going though,” replied one of the other guys in the room

“What kind of business?” Scorpius turned to him

“We don't know,” the other shrugged.

“I’m starting to lose my patience”

“Just ... something about a girl ... a redhead,” Scorpius focused his attention once again on Dante, who seemed more nervous than ever, “You know ... Rygel said that Val asked him for a favor ... he said that you knew about it and that you were agree”

"Agree on what exactly?" Scorpius inquired

"To scare the girl," he shrugged, "Val said that that girl screwed up your life or that she wouldn't leave you alone or something like that. And that you wanted to scare her… she is also Potter's cousin and a Gryffindor so it's ok, right?”

Unable to restrain he punched Dante on the face. His nose was bleeding profusely so Scorpius had to hold his chin to look into Goyle’s eyes.

“What the hell Scorpius?”

“Who the hell is Val to give orders here,” he demanded to know

“She's your girlfriend right? She said she was your girlfriend, and we saw her with you so we thought…”

"You're a bunch of idiots," he spat. "Now tell me where the hell Rygel is or you're going to regret it."

It didn't take five seconds for them to blurt out everything they knew.

"He left with his van a couple of hours ago," replied Dante, "he didn't give us an exact location ... but we know that he's been hanging around the abandoned warehouses of the paint factory."

“I hope you’re right about that”

He released Dante causing him to stumble and left that damn place.

The warehouses were a good place to hide someone, now that he thought about it. Also, Rygel knew them well as his father used to work there when he was a child.

He called Theo to ask him to pick him up in his car and his friend was there in just a few minutes. Scorpius indicated the location and outlined the situation. Theo seemed surprised but just like Malfoy, he was determined to save Rose.

" _I'm coming for you redhead_ " he said to himself. He only hoped that he would arrive in time to avoid something horrible happening to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I would love to read your thoughts or impressions. Those keep my writer's spirit up, so please leave a comment :)  
> A magical day to all of you ^^


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Just this fanfiction.

**ROSE**

The smell of paint was so strong that Rose felt like she couldn't breathe. The girl tried to open her mouth to suck in a breath of fresh air just to discover that she was gagged. What was happening?

The memories then rushed to her mind: the laughter of those men on the street, a fist hitting her jaw and she being dragged into a minivan. Terror seized Rose as she opened her eyes and saw that she was in a nearly dark room, completely tied up.

“Finally she wakes up,” laughed one of her captors

Rose turned to the voice at the same time someone else turned on a powerful light in the room. The place was a large, cold, dusty room that seemed abandoned… and it probably was. And she was there alone with those men.

“We were starting to get bored,” continued the man who she recognized as the one who had made her fall in the street

Instinctively she kept fighting to get free but it was useless, they had tied her very well. The man laughed at her desperate attempts and began to circle her, approaching where she was sit on the floor.

"If you promise to be quiet I'll take the gag off," he said, “So what you say?”

Rose nodded and he did his part by removing the dirty rag he had used to silence her. Knowing that there was no point in shouting for no one would listen to her, she preferred to show the anger she was feeling by spitting to his face.

“Bitch,” he blurted out before crossing her face with a slap that made her stagger, "This is what I get for trying to be nice?!”

“Nice?” The redhead hissed. “You have me here against my will! You better let me go or ...!”

“Or what?” A third man, tall and with cold black eyes entered the room, “No one will come here to rescue you so you better behave and try not to end my patience. I wouldn’t like to have to force you,” he reached over and took her face tightly in his hands, “I like it better when girls cooperate.”

Panic flooded to her brain at hearing those words. She was lost, alone in there and they could do whatever they wanted with her. Tears began to roll down her cheeks at the realization of this.

The man with the black eyes painfully grabbed her hair while his other hand tightened her waist, pulling her close to him. Rose screamed and tried to kick him but it was useless.

"Easy there little bitch," he whispered bringing his nose to the girl's neck and inhaling her scent. The closeness of him disgusted Rose, “Relax and I’m sure you’ll also enjoy this”

"Not in your best dreams," she replied scathingly.

And abandoning all precautions Rose bit his ear with all her strength when the man caressed her again. The guy screamed but she didn’t let go, however his friends intervened and managed to separate them, subjugating her again.

“Let me go! Leave me alone!” She yelled hoarsely

But they were angry now, so they began to hit and kick her making her cry in pain. They were going to kill her, she realized, but she preferred that a thousand times before feeling his hands over her again. Rose gave a little cry of pain and suddenly the blows stopped.

She opened her eyes, scared, hoping to find something that would surely mean bad news for her; but she instead observed the expression of fear of the men. One of them suddenly ran to the door and leaned out to see what was happening.

“Shit! Scorpius is here!”

Rose's heart skipped a beat when she heard his name. She knew that if he was here she didn't have to worry; despite the fight they had had a few hours ago she was sure that he wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her.

The men began to curse and two of them managed to escape through a door that Rose hadn’t noticed, but the other two weren’t so lucky and were still in the room as Scorpius and Theo violently entered and hold them without too much trouble.

Scorpius took a fleeting glance in her direction before throwing the guy to the ground.

“Theo take care of this one,” he ordered

Theo landed an accurate blow to the face of the man he was holding and managed to knock him out and then grabbed the other one. Scorpius instead leaned closer to Rose and cradled her face gently in his warm hands.

“Everything will be fine Rosie, I'm here now”

She nodded at his words and let him hold her against his chest. As she breathed in the familiar scent of the blond, she felt completely safe and for some reason tears began to fall again. Tears of fear and shame. Why did this have to happen to her?

Scorpius untied her carefully and rubbed the bruises the ropes had left on her wrists and ankles before helping her to her feet. Theo, who had already subdued the two men, watched his friend from across the room without saying anything

“Were there others?” Scorpius asked her

"Two more," she replied. Her voice sounded hoarse from crying so she cleared her throat, “Scorpius, Theo… thanks for…”

Her voice cracked and she cocked her face. She didn't want them to see her cry. Scorpius, however, cradled her in his arms and once again she allowed him to do so. The boy made her feel safe and that was something she really needed right now. She wanted to forget the events of the last moments forever.

“We should take her to see a doctor,” said Theo, “She has some pretty ugly bruises and she is bleeding”

Scorpius cursed and began to examine her better, pulling her out of the embrace and watching her from head to toe. With some reluctance he ran his thumb over the corner of her lip and she noticed the trail of blood she left on his finger. The touch also sent a twinge of pain that she couldn't hide.

“One of them slapped me very hard,” she explained at his inquisitive look

“Bastards”

Scorpius pulled away and kicked one of her captors in the stomach causing the man woke up and howled in pain.

“Who the hell ordered you to do this?” Scorpius demanded to know

She had never seen him this angry and it wasn’t a nice scene, not after everything that had happened tonight.

“Speak!” He continued

“Scorpius, that’s enough!” Theo walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder before pointing in Rose’s direction, "We'll fix this later. Take Rose to some place safe and let her cousin know that you’ve found her or we will soon have a war with the Gryffindors.”

“Albus!” She gasped suddenly, “He must be so worried! And my sister too! Oh no…”

“Hey easy, easy, it’s ok,” Scorpius returned to where she was, “It will be fine. I swear.”

She nodded, wanting someone to magically fix this whole situation even though she knew it wouldn't happen.

"I'll tell Cassandra to meet us with Potter at home. Mom and Dad won't be back until tomorrow afternoon so you can heal Rose’s wounds in there. I'll stay with this couple of idiots until they decide to talk.”

“Theo…”

“Don't worry brother, I won't hurt them too much,” he smiled sideways, “I'll wait for you. But right now you must be with Rose. She needs you.”

Scorpius nodded and grabbed her hand. Theo tied up the men, who were still unconscious, and made a couple of calls before Rose and Scorpius left the place.

The blonde guided her to Theo's car and helped her up. Her abdomen was aching a lot and she winced in pain.

“Tell me exactly what happened, Rose, please”

“Scorpius I don't want to talk about it”

“Please Rosie. I need to know everything they did to you,” he started driving. She noticed that his knuckles were white from the anger with which he clung to the wheel. “They… did they touch you in any way?”

He couldn’t elaborate but there was no need to do so because she knew exactly what he meant. Rose blushed and shame washed over her as she remembered that man's hands tracing her body, "No, they didn't do the things you were thinking about," Rose answered. Scorpius blew out a huge gulp of air that he was probably holding back, “You guys get there in time to stop it from happening.”

His words seemed to stir something in him because he carelessly parked the car and turned to Rose, facing her. There were tears in his gray eyes, and when he hugged her, Rose felt that she was the one comforting him instead of being the other way around.

"Forgive me Rose, please forgive me," he whispered against her hair. "This is all my fault... those sons of bitches ...”

“What are you talking about? None of this happened because of you Scorpius,” she replied

“The hell it is my fault! This was a way of threatening me!” He pulled away from the hug and hit the wheel of the car, “They don't understand ... Rose I told you we couldn't be together. And I really wanted to get away from you but it's useless. Being without you makes no sense. You have no idea ... the simple thought of something happening to you, the despair I felt ... the terror of this last hour is more than I can bear. I don't want to keep pushing you away Rose. I need you by my side.”

She instinctively hugged him, moved by his words and the emotions he didn't seem to be able to contain. It was a side of him that she hadn't seen until now, Scorpius seemed so vulnerable and sincere. He cradled her, stroking her hair and burying his face in it.

“I swear I'm going to fix everything,” he gently took her face and placed his gray eyes on her chocolate ones, “I'm going to fix it. I will do it for you. I will do everything right for you.”

She nodded, not quite understanding what he was referring to, and she didn't have time to say anything else because he settled into his seat and started the car.

They reached Cassie's house in just a few minutes. Her best friend and her cousin were standing leaning against the wall of the building, they both rushed over to her when Scorpius helped her out of the car.

“Rose!” Cass wrapped her arms around her and the redhead couldn't help but complain of pain, “Oh my God ... I'm sorry Rose”

Her cousin claimed her attention at that moment. He gasped as he examined her face, and although she hadn't seen her reflection yet, she knew it shouldn't look good at all.

“We better take her inside the house,” said Cassie

Albus seemed to come out of the shock he was in and asked Cass to show him where her house was as he lifted Rose in his arms, pushing aside Scorpius who had also approached to help her. For once the blonde didn't protest.

Once inside the Nott apartment, Albus placed her on a plush sofa.

“Who was it? Were they yours?” But the questions were directed towards Scorpius and not towards Rose

“Yes,” Scorpius's short reply fell like a heavy load

"I'm going to kill them," Albus hissed. "This won't stay like this Malfoy, I won't allow ... I won't forgive them for touching my cousin."

"I'm not going to dissuade you from anything you want to do," Scorpius replied. "Because I'm going to take care of them too, this will not be forgotten.”

“Guys please, this is not the time to talk about these things,” Cassandra added

Scorpius and Albus spoke at the same time and Rose was unable to hold back her anger, “I was the one who was kidnapped and it was me who was beaten!” She blurted out, "And I'm not looking for revenge. I don't want any more violence, I want justice.”

“Well, this is the justice we have,” cut Albus

“This is insane!” She looked at her cousin with tears in her eyes, “Violence and more violence! Don't you listen to yourselves? You’re talking about killing people for God's sake!”

“People? Animals would be a better word, look what they did to you,” her cousin pointed desperately at her, “I can't allow ...”

“It's not that you allow anything Albus Potter,” she cut him off, “If you do something to them then they will respond and who's next? Hope? Hugo?” She turned to Scorpius, “And if you and Theo continue with this, have you thought that something could happen to Cassandra?”

Scorpius and the girl exchanged a look that Rose didn’t understand.

“I want you to stop. I want all this to end here,” she continued, “I want to heal and forget that this ever happened, can you at least understand that?”

Neither of them answered her, but from what she could read on their expressions, she knew that her words had not had the slightest effect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kudos! I really appreciate it :)  
> Next chapter coming really soon~


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long(er) chapter ahead!   
> Enjoy ^^

**ROSE**

The room was heavy with silence as Cassie treated the wounds on her arms and legs. The alcohol stung against Rose’s skin and her abdomen was still aching a lot, but she was decided not to go to a hospital for they would probably ask a lot of questions that she didn't want to answer.

“Can you walk?” Albus asked when he saw Cass put everything back in the medicine cabinet

“Yes I think so”

She got up with little difficulty. Her legs were still numb from being tied up but she could walk without so much pain, “I don't think I have anything broken”

"It seems so," Albus nodded. "You should rest. Come on, I'll take you home.”

“Oh no,” she let out a little gasp, “Hope, oh no! What time is it?”

“It's almost four o'clock,” Scorpius replied

“Damn it,” she sighed, “My curfew was at three… Hope must be so worry, I haven't even called her,” she turned to her cousin, “Have you talked to her?”

"I thought it would be better not to worry her," he shrugged, "She called me a couple of times but then we found you and I forgot to call her again."

Rose rubbed her temple, feeling both worried and annoyed. She didn't really know how Hope was going to react but she figured her sister wouldn't be exactly happy about her missing the curfew.

“We'll tell her that you were mugged,” Albus said, “But we'd better go now”

She looked away at Scorpius. He hadn't come close to her since entering Cassandra's apartment and Rose really missed being close to him.

“Can you give us a few minutes?” She asked Albus

He looked at them both before he nodded. Scorpius gently took her hand and led her into the kitchen.

“How you feel?” He asked in a soft voice

“Better, still a little nervous and sore but I'm fine.”

“Are you sure?” Concern was painted on his handsome face

“Of course,” she nodded and smiled at him, “Now I'm just anxious to have to face my sister”

Scorpius smirked and hugged her so he could kiss the top of her head.

“Come on, you need to rest. I would like to take you home but…” he cocked his head, “Do you think I can come see you?”

“I would like that,” she admitted feeling renewed emotion

He hugged her a little more before returning to the living room. Cassandra and Albus stopped talking and the latter looked suspiciously at Rose’s hand clasped in Scorpius's. Her cousin frowned but said nothing.

“See you tomorrow Cassie. And thanks for everything”

“Take care of you Rose, and let me know if you need anything. Anything”

The redhead exchanged one last smile with Scorpius before following Albus out.

“We won't go in your baby, right? I really don't think I can get on a motorcycle right now”

“Don't worry,” he smiled, “I called a taxi”

The taxi was already parked outside. Albus helped her get inside and once the car started, he came over to Rose and gave her a protective hug.

"You have no idea how worried I was," he sighed, "Rose, why didn't you look for David? Why did you try to go home alone?”

"I'm sorry, really sorry Al." She grabbed his hand and looked at him. She didn't want him to be upset with her, “And don't be hard with David either, okay? He acted like a gentleman the entire night”

“A gentleman, sure,” he snorted, “He's an inept, that's what he is”

“Albus!” She snapped, “Don't do anything to him, please.”

He nodded but she wasn’t convinced with his apparent calm. She couldn't keep arguing though, because the car stopped in front of their building.

Her cousin paid the driver and then opened the door for Rose. She giggled at all the considerations he was having towards her, but the laugh faded when she noticed that the lights in her apartment were on.

“Remember: you were mugged when you were leaving the Ball,” Albus said, “You fell because of the force of whoever took your bag and you couldn't call Hope because of that.”

She nodded at his recommendation and walked slowly up the stairs. The girl hesitated before ringing the bell, but finally did it. It didn't take her sister more than a few seconds to open the door.

“Rose? Finally! What were you ...?” She stopped in her tracks when she saw her appearance, “What…? Rose what happened?”

She went into the apartment and Albus came in with the girls. Hope closed the door and came back to her sister.

“How did you get those wounds Rose?”

“I was mugged,” she replied. Her sister gasped and she hastened to calm her, “It's just a couple of bruises, I'm fine”

“A couple of bruises?” gasped Hope, “Rose! It looks like you've been dragged down the street!”

“What? No Hope, don't be ...”

“It's my fault,” Albus interrupted Rose, “I left her alone for a few minutes while I called a taxi and those bastards took the opportunity to mug her”

Her sister turned to the boy and looked at him suspiciously.

“What about David? I thought he was her date”

“He was also looking for a taxi,” Albus replied with a shrug.

“Oh yeah?” Hope looked at both of them suspiciously and then said, “Albus thank you very much for bringing Rose but my sister and I have to talk. See you tomorrow.”

Hope practically pushed Albus to the door and closed it behind him. Her furious blue eyes fell on Rose once they were alone.

“You expect me to believe those lies?” She blurted, “Albus never goes anywhere without his motorcycle! And that boy David had a car!”

“Did you spy when he came to pick me up?” She wanted to know

"It's not spying," she replied. "I had to make sure you'd be okay, and that's not the point, what on earth happened Rose? You're too beaten up to ...”

“I was robbed, I already told you!” her voice was beginning to increase

“Well I do not believe you!” She replied in the same tone, "Do you have any idea how worried I was? You said you'd be back at three! I trusted you Rose!”

"It's not like I missed curfew because I wanted to, Hope!" she hissed

Rose didn't really understand why she was venting her frustration on her sister, but she had so many things stuck on her chest, and perhaps due to the strong emotions of the last hours the anger exploded and the words came out of her mouth uncontrollably.

"Besides, I was only forty minutes late! It's not like I spent the whole night out! And you have no right to yell at me because YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER!”

She instantly regretted saying that last part. From the expression on Hope's face she might as well have slapped her. Rose was about to apologize when the small figure of Hugo entered the room.

“What's going on?” He asked with a voice hoarse from sleep and tears starting to form in his eyes. "Why are you yelling at each other?"

Hope hastened to scoop him up in her arms and cradle him, “Everything is fine baby boy, don’t worry,” she said, “Let's go back to bed, yes?”

“Hope…” Rose said

“We’ll talk tomorrow. Go to your room”

The older sister didn't give Rose any time to say anything else and took Hugo to his room. She stepped into her own, took off her shoes and dress, and examined her body in the full-length mirror. She looked horrible, of course. It was to be expected for Hope to freak out at her broken lip and swollen jaw.

Fortunately Hope hadn’t noticed the bruises that the ropes had left on her wrists or the ugly bruises that began to form on her back and stomach because of the kicks of those men.

A chill ran through her body at the memory of the disgusting touch of those men. She needed a bath; she needed to get the dirt she was feeling out of her body. Rose grabbed a towel and, making sure her siblings were in their rooms, went to the bathroom.

She stepped into the shower, the hot water running through her body. With the bath cloth she began to rub her skin as much as she could, although it was difficult to do so considering how sore she felt. Rose scrubbed and scrubbed using lots of liquid soap until she felt better. When she got out of the shower and looked her reflection in the mirror once again, she was feeling much calmer.

She was safe. She was at her house. Her cousin was nearby and she knew that she could also relay on Scorpius taking care of her. Nothing bad was going to happen to her.

She wiped away a couple of tears that rolled down her cheek and whispered a promise: that this recent episode was not going to break her down, she wasn't going to give those idiots and whoever it was who had ordered them to do that to her, the pleasure to be affected or terrorize.

Rose went back to her room and, mentally and physically exhausted, it was not difficult for her to fall asleep.

*******

The next morning she woke up with a horrible headache. And that wasn't the only part of her body that was hurting her. She soon discovered that her back was covered in purple bruises, so she sighed and put on a dark blue sweater, grateful that the weather allowed to wear long clothes since the last thing Rose wanted was for Hope to see her wounds.

When she entered the living room, her siblings were about to leave the apartment.

“You guys are going out?” She asked

“I promised Hugo that we would go to the zoo,” Hope looked at me coldly, “I figured you wouldn't want to join us.”

Rose would have liked to say yes, but she didn't feel like going out.

“Don't you want to come, Rosie?”

Hugo ran up to her and she winced as she picked him up, smiling at him.

"I can't today, Hughie, I have some things to do here,” she lied as she put him down again, "But you go and have tons of fun”.

Hope looked at her suspiciously before taking Hugo's hand.

“Come on Hugo, we don’t want to be late to see all the animals,” she fixed his coat and turned to Rose, “You’re not allowed to leave the house, if you need something call me or ask Aunt Ginny to help you”.

Rose preferred to nod rather than argue with Hope. Once she was alone she prepared something light for breakfast and then sat in the living room to watch television.

Only her mind couldn’t focus on the Christmas movie, but instead flew to the strange words of Scorpius. He was going to give her an explanation and he had asked to visit her… when would that be? She brought her hand to her mouth and started nibbling at the skin around her nails, feeling suddenly uneasy.

The sound of a stone hitting the window made her jump onto the couch. With her heart racing inside her chest she picked up the phone thinking about calling the police, or calling Albus perhaps.

Another pebble struck the windowsill.

Maybe it would be better to see who was throwing them before calling someone. Carefully she approached the edge of the window and looked out into the street. Scorpius was there staring to the window and occasionally onto the street. He looked nervous, and yet his face lit up in a smile when he saw Rose. With her heart pounding, this time for entirely different reasons, she opened the window.

“What are you doing here?” She asked smiling

“I had to see you! Come down and open!”

Rose nodded and hurried to grab the keys and leave the apartment. She went downstairs and found Scorpius at the entrance gate.

“I didn't think you would come so soon,” Rose admitted as they went up to the apartment

"Actually, I've been here for hours," he replied. Because of her inquisitive look he continued, "Could we go somewhere private? A place where nobody can hear us? I need to talk to you”

She guided Scorpius to the rooftop she once visit with Albus.

“No one here will listen to us,” she said

“Good,” he nodded and then looked at her, “But firstly”

He hugged her very gently and buried his face in her wavy hair. She felt him sigh against her temple and winced at the contact.

“Are you ok?” He pulled away a little, looking at her suspiciously, “I understand if you prefer that I don't touch you ... I know that yesterday must have been traumatic and ...”

“No, no, it's okay,” she smiled, “I mean ... I'm still a little scared but I'm fine. I am not going to be terrified all my life. I will not let them do that to me.”

Scorpius seemed to ponder her words.

"You are very brave, redhead." He cupped her face with his hands and then ran his thumb over the still swollen part of her lips. "Does it hurt a lot?"

“Not really,” she lied

He smiled and brought his lips closer to hers. The kiss was slow and careful, his lips lightly grasped Rose’s and she felt that with each caressed, she was beginning to forget the terrors of the night before.

They kissed a couple of times more before she hugged him tightly, feeling safe in his arms and his peppermint scent.

“Rose,” he whispered, “We should talk”

The girl sighed and let Scorpius lead her to one of the walls. He helped her sit on the floor and then sat next to her. Their hands remained joined and she noticed that his knuckles were quite bruised; the skin around them was bare and seemed to have bled heavily.

“Is this because of yesterday?” She wanted to know

"In part," he agreed. He turned to Rose and said, "Don't be upset, okay? I know you said you didn't want more violence but I had to do something. Things couldn't stay the way they were.”

“What happened?”

“I gave them what they deserved. I looked for the other two men that kidnaped you and well… I think you can get an idea of how it went”.

Rose felt a lump in her throat, "Something bad could had happened to you Scorpius, they could have hurt you”

“I’m fine Rose. And if it reassures you to know, I was not alone.”

“Theo?”

“And your cousin too”

She mumbled a curse. Of course Albus would also seek revenge.

“The three of us are fine,” he assured, “We had to do it. Now they know that they have no right to touch you, that they cannot do anything to you unless they want to deal with us,” Rose refused his gaze and he gently took her chin making her face his gray eyes, “It’s fine now, really, it's all over, I just had to make sure they understood the lesson.”

“Scorpius,” she sighed his name and hugged his body, “Promise that this ends here, that there will be no more fights. Please.”

“I’ll try Rose, I will. I already said that I will do better for you.”

He sealed his promise with a kiss longer than the previous ones but just as delicate.

“Scorpius… you said you were going to explain everything to me. Or whatever that means”

"And I'm going to do it," he assured whispering against her lips.

Scorpius cut the contact and his expression darkened. It took him a few long seconds to start speaking but she didn't rush him at any time.

“What happened to you yesterday was my fault Rose.”

“Why do you keep saying that?” the girl sighed in frustration, “I’ve already told you that ...”

"Please, let me talk," he cut her off "You have to understand, Rose, that when I say it was my fault, I don't mean that it happened because I let you go alone or because I wasn't watching over you. Rather the opposite ... it happened because I can't help but wanting to be by your side. I can't help but caring about you.”

His statement caused her stomach to flood with butterflies and she blushed like a silly child. This was not the time to feel that way though, not when he seemed to be haunted by his statement.

“You know I'm in a gang right?”

“Yes, I know,” she nodded, “But so what? Albus is also in a…”

“Slytherin and Gryffindor are not the same,” he smiled reluctantly, “Or I should perhaps say that your cousin is not into all that shit as I am.”

Rose felt a lump in her throat from his words. What exactly was he referring to?

“Potter ... your cousin ... he can leave the Gryffindors whenever he wants and it's because they basically don't consider members those who are too young or are still at school, you know? They're too immature and they don't know anything about the real gang business,” he sighed, “Whoever wants to get out at that point can do it… but some of us… some of us have too much baggage, dirty luggage.”

Scorpius sighed heavily and she was aware that he was feeling very nervous, so she took his hand and squeezed it. He seemed encouraged by the contact.

“My father left the house when I was eight years old. Mom and he argued all the time and sometimes he was away for a few days, but he always came back,” his gray eyes turned cold and far away, so Rose tightened her grip on his hand, “Mom collapsed when it became clear that dad was not coming back and took refuge in the alcohol. To be honest she hasn’t been able to get out of that toxic circle until now,” he sighed before continuing, “For days she cried and drank until she passed out on the couch. I was young but I understood what was happening ... and I knew that Mom was not going to take care of me while she was in that state. I survived the first few days with what we had at home. I would prepare simple things and force Mom to eat ... only eventually the food ran out and that's when it all started.”

Scorpius turned to her. His expression was serious and he was looking at her straight in the eye, “Rose, I was desperate. I was hungry and there was nothing, absolutely nothing that I could eat in that apartment. Nor did I have anyone to help me…” His voice trailed off but he cleared his throat, “At that moment it seemed the only solution and I didn't think about it or rather I didn't think about the consequences at all,” his hands turned into fists, and he seemed to be holding back his rage, “I began to steal Rose. I went to a grocery store and stole something to eat. I did it three times… and would have kept doing it if it weren't for the fact that I got caught. The owner's son noticed what I was doing; so he stopped me and took me to the police station.”

A tear escaped her cheek as she imagined Scorpius as a child only a few years older than Hugo. Scorpius, who always seemed so strong, so sure of himself, and yet he had gone through so much at such young age.

“The policemen scared me and made me feel ashamed of what I had done,” he continued, “They kept me in the precinct for a few hours because, of course, my mother was too drunk to come pick me up. It was there that I met him,” Scorpius stopped his explanation for a few seconds, “Yaxley, who already was a powerful member of the Slytherins, had been caught in a domestic fight. He listened to my story and assured that he understood my reasons. He told me that I had done what I had to do to help my family… he manipulate me. He assured me that he could prevent Social Services from taking me to a shelter if I could do him a favor. In return… in return he would give me money and food. It was other easy way out for me. Sure, I didn't get it at the time but Yaxley used the rogue cops allied to the Slytherins to set me free of my problem. Once we both left the station he took me out to eat… hell! I can still taste that huge hamburger he bought for me… it tasted like glory after days of eating cookies and candies that I managed to get out of the grocery store,” his voice cracked, “Yaxley kept his promise. He gave me food and money… but in return I had to work for them. That is to say, my job was to warn them if the police were around when they were doing their business,” he smiled sarcastically, “I was a stupid child.”

“Scorpius ...”

“No, I really was. Maybe more than that… because partially I knew what I was doing was wrong. I was aware that they weren't the best company I could have, but it was better than starving again,” his gaze lowered and the blush stained his pale face, “I've been an Slytherin ever since, Rose. I know their dirty secrets, I know the things they are capable of, I’ve been helping them ever since… and I've tried to get out… especially when they made my best friend part of that shit.”

“Theo”

“His family moved into the building about a year after I started working for them. Theo and I became friends almost immediately, his family basically adopted me and I thought I could stop working for Yaxley because the Nott took care of me… but it wasn't that easy. Slytherin took advantage of the fact that Theo was as observant and skilled as I was and convinced him to participate.” He cursed, “Those things seemed unimportant at first but as we grew older I realized the way they used us and how dangerous all that really was. That's why ... that's why I know it's my fault what happened to you. It's what they do Rose, the way they control you ... the threatens, the punishment,” he shook his head, “They know I'm sick of all their shit and when I started showing interest in you ... that was too much for them. Like it or not, you're a Gryffindor girl. And our relationship is against the rules.”

“The hell with the rules,” she murmured with conviction

“If only,” he sighed, “But that's why I pushed you away and I know I did it in the worst possible way but ... fuck! I was afraid that they would also hurt you, the idea of them doing something to you and…,” he shuddered, “I was right, they ended up hurting you because I was weak, because I need you by my side.”

Scorpius turned to her, looking very anxious, “Rose I have never told anyone about this and ... I know you must be ...”

“Horrified? Disgusted?” She proposed. His face froze in pain and she was quick to say, "None of that Scorpius! Maybe ... maybe before I would have called you a criminal, but you were a child. You didn’t know what you were getting into and ...” She shook her head, “No one should go through the things you experienced being so young. Life shouldn't be so hard.”

“So you ... you're not going to push me away because of what I just told you?” He asked after a few seconds

"Of course not" She took his face and kissed him gently. "Scorpius, there was a time when my life was so luxurious, I never knew real need, I never had to worry for things like the lack of food or renting a place to live… but now I know how lucky I was. I took so much for granted ...”

“But…”

“When mom got cancer,” she cut him off, “Dad broke too. He stopped caring about us and it was worse after Mom died. He ended up killing himself a few weeks later because he was so drunk while driving and… after his death everyone found out about his corrupt business. Dad had scammed a lot of people, you know? Everything he owned, all the privileges we had… it was because he cheated on people with false promises. My life fell apart. They took our house from me, they threw us out to the streets and I was forced to live in a complete opposite way to what I was used. But we had help, my aunt Ginny took us in. The sister that my father cut off of his life because he became successful,” her voice cracked, “My so-called friends never called again, they basically forgot about us… but here I have found true affection and understanding. And I found you. I never felt this way before with any guy and honestly, I don't care about the things you've done. I care what you do from now on.”

“I swear, Rose, I swear that if you give me this opportunity I’ll leave the Slytherins”

“I want you to do it,” she agreed, “And not only for me, but also for you. You deserve so much more than a future in a gang and a criminal record.”

Scorpius hugged her and there was such despair in his embrace that Rose held on tight to him too.

He kissed her and she melted into the caress trying to convey everything she felt to him. Scorpius had opened his soul to her and now that she knew him a bit better, she liked him even more. And Rose didn't care about the damn gangs or their rules. She was going to fight for her love, she was going to fight with all her might.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Impressions? Please leave a comment!  
> Have a magical day ^^


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Just this fanfiction.

**SCORPIUS**

Part of him was still waiting for Rose to make up some excuse and walk away. She wouldn’t lack of reasons to do so after all. He had confessed to her the things he had done in the past and yet she seemed as calm as ever.

“What is it?” She asked looking at him with concern after the long silence in which he devoted to sneak glances at her

"It's just that..." he sighed, "I still think you should have run away after what I told you."

Rose rested her chocolate eyes on his and gave a short sigh as well. "From my point of view your story only makes me admire you even more."

“You admire me?” He gasped without being able to believe what he was hearing, “Rose, didn't you hear the part where I told you that what happened to you was my fault?”

“I don't think it was. And yes, I do admire you, because you managed to get ahead despite everything you had to face. You are strong, you are a survivor. You always have been”

“What have I done to deserve you?” He almost whispered against her lips

“I could ask the same thing,” she smiled and gave him a short kiss, “I used to be a spoiled brat and an entitled idiot, you know?” Rose wrinkled her nose in a charming way, “But that's the past. And as I told you, I only care about the future,” she seemed to hesitate before adding, “Our future”

"I like how that sounds," he replied unable to avoid a smile from ear to ear.

Rose kissed him again and he let himself be carried away by her lips. He had kissed many girls but no kiss had been like the redhead's. Scorpius had noticed it the first time he felt her lips and he knew that he would feel this way forever.

The noise of a speeding car separated them. Rose looked suddenly scared, probably still remembering the events of the night before, and Scorpius felt hatred run through his body once again. Despite the beating he had given to those sons of bitches, he still felt powerless because his redhead would have to deal with the fear of what had happened to her.

“Are you ok?” He asked

"Yes, yes, it's nothing," she sighed and a cloud of steam formed with her breath. The temperature seemed to have dropped several degrees, “It's cold in here isn't it? Maybe we should go somewhere closed”

“That sounds nice,” he agreed

“Come, let's go to my apartment, there is no one there so we can continue with our conversation”

Rose stood up and extended her hand to the boy, who immediately took it and allowed her to help him up.

They left the rooftop and headed toward the apartment. Rose looked a little embarrassed when they entered her house and once she closed the door she stared at him not knowing what to do.

The boy decided to take control of the situation and held her hand again, guiding them to the sofa in the living room, where he sat next to her but keeping a certain distance. It was obvious that she was not used to having boys in her house, which was soothing and fun at the same time.

“Where are your siblings?” He asked curiously

“Ah! They went to the zoo,” she smiled. She seemed happy with the topic that he proposed

“The zoo? Aren't they a little older for that?”

Honestly, he didn't know much about Rose's family so it was a good opportunity to find out about those details of her life.

“I suppose Hope is,” she smiled, “She is 22. But Hugo is barely 5 years old, so the visit is basically for him”

“Five? That’s a big age gap!”

"Hugo is a sweetheart" Rose's eyes shone fondly for her brother.

The girl began to tell him about her siblings, about the happy moments she had lived with her parents, her childhood memories, and Scorpius, in turn, continued to confide in her the details regarding Astoria.

“So she…” Rose stopped, “She still has a problem with alcohol right?”

"So to speak," he let out a graceless laugh. "Astoria is drunk most of the time. I honestly don't know how she manages to keep the job… maybe the Slytherins have something to do with it since they got it for her." He sighed heavily, “She is… she can be sweet when she doesn't have alcohol in her system. Sometimes I think she cares about me but it's hard to tell. She is generally only interested in having enough vodka and a man in her life.”

Rose closed the distance between them and snuggled into his chest. The boy did not need more than to feel her close to him to ease the knot that formed inside him at the thought of his mother. Rose was everything he wanted.

"I'm sure she loves you," she said after a few seconds. "Who couldn't love you, Scorpius?"

“I think I can name a couple of people,” he laughed, “Your cousin for example ...”

“Ah Albus!” She rolled her eyes again, “But seriously, it's nice what you do for your mother. You take care of her despite everything. And you also take care of your friends and you take care of me. You are a good person Scorpius. Always remember that”.

The boy brought their lips together again. This time he didn't hold back from showing her how much he cared about her so the kiss seemed to take her by surprise. He was thinking of ended the contact when she wrapped her arms around his neck and responded with the same intensity. Scorpius gasped against her lips and their bodies grew closer and closer.

The blond left his lips to take a breath and attack her neck. She whispered his name and he felt his desire manifest between his pants. Scorpius sucked the soft snowy skin from her throat and Rose buried her hands in his hair, pulling it gently.

“You are so beautiful,” she told him as his hands rose up the curves of her waist, “So beautiful”

Rose whispered his name again and somehow they were practically lying on the couch now. The friction of their bodies felt too good and she was making him feel more and more aroused. What the hell was happening to him? How is it that every sensation intensified next to her? He was feeling like a fucking inexperienced little boy.

A few giggles ended the passion of the moment. Scorpius felt Rose tense up and push him away the moment a key was inserted into the door latch. The boy hurried to sit away from Rose and fixed his clothes just as her siblings entered the apartment.

“Rosie! Look what…!”

A small copper-haired boy ran over to where they were, but stopped when he saw him. His blue eyes widened with curiosity as he smiled at Scorpius.

“Rose? Who is your friend?” An older girl who was physically a copy of the little one, wasn’t looking at him with the same joy as her little brother.

“Hope… you guys arrive early,” Rose said standing up. He imitated her, “Sister this is Scorpius ... he is,” she looked at him without knowing what to say.

“I'm her boyfriend,” the boy finished for her

“Boyfriend?” Hope looked at them suspiciously. It was clear that she knew they weren't exactly talking on the couch, “I didn't know you had a boyfriend Rose”

“Ah, yes I… I was going to tell you,” she turned to the blonde and smiled at him, “Scorpius these are my siblings, Hope and Hugo”

“Hi Scorpius,” Hugo giggled and approached, “Look what Hope bought for me at the zoo. It is a panda bear,” the little one showed him a huge stuffed animal, “His caretaker says it eats a lot, a lot of bamboo. They were almost….”

“Hugo darling,” Hope cut him off, “Scorpius has to go now. I'm sure another day you can tell him about the panda bears that we saw”

The boy seemed surprised and somewhat saddened by the hard tone of his sister, but he nodded and excused himself by going to his room to leave the stuffed animal.

“Why did you tell him that?” Asked Rose. She too seemed suddenly angry.

Hope ignored her younger sister and turned to Scorpius. She seemed to study him with her gaze for a few long seconds and he felt suddenly exposed. There was annoyance in her eyes and she was even tougher when she spoke to him

“I think it's time for you to go”

“Hope! How can you…!”

"I'm not talking to you yet." Hope turned to her sister. They both glared at each other, “Should I remind you that you were grounded? That you had to stay in the house?”

"I'm in the house," Rose replied.

“With a man”

“My boyfriend,” she clarified

“And that should make me feel better?” Hope looked at both of them, “Please leave me alone with my sister. I must speak to her.”

Scorpius looked at Rose who clearly didn't know what to do. He wondered if it would be a good idea to take the hand of his redhead and lead her out of the apartment. He guessed not.

"Perhaps it is better if you two talk alone," he said. And without caring about the presence of her sister, he approached Rose and whispered so that only she would listen, “I already said what I had to say and I'm glad that you still want me by your side. The rest can wait for a bit, at least until your sister isn't so upset.”

“Okay,” Rose laughed and hugged him, “See you soon”

“You can bet on that”

Hope gave a fake cough but he ignored her and gave Rose a tender kiss on her forehead before nodding towards her older sister as a silent goodbye manner and leaving the apartment.

He seemed to hear disturbed voices as he came down the stairs but he didn't think it was right to go back, not when clearly they should speak alone first. Besides, he also had other pressings things to do.

He hadn't lied when he assured Rose that he was going to leave the Slytherins. He was sick of their damn games and the blackmails; and they had definitely exceeded all limits when they attacked Rose.

He walked away from the building where his now girlfriend lived. The thought of that made him grin like a fool all the way to Cass and Theo's house.

“You seem happy,” Cassandra commented sitting next to him on the sofa in the living room of her house, “I like to see you this happy”

He gently ruffled her hair but noticing how edgy she got he stopped. Cassie looked at him with an apology painted on her face and sighed.

“How is Rose?” She wanted to know

“She's still a little scared but she's going to get over it. I'm sure of that.”

Cass nodded slowly and looked at him, “Have you guys talked about what happened?”

“Yes, there are no more misunderstandings between us,” he couldn't help but smile again, “We are dating”

“Dating? That’s amazing,” she squealed with joy

“Dating, who’s dating who?”

Theo entered the living room with a bottle of beer in hand.

“Rose and Scorpius, they’re a couple now!” Cass replied, still excited

Theo nearly choked on his beer. When he recovered he fixed his eyes on his best friend, perhaps half expecting for Scorpius to tell him it was a joke, but the blonde kept his expression calm.

“Damn it, I never thought this day would come,” Theo commented with a half-smile, “Well, I can't say that it takes me by surprise. I had already noticed that you were serious about the redhead.”

"I am," he assured. Theo laughed but he ignored him, “And there’s something else I need to tell you both,” the siblings looked at him as if sensing that something was happening, “I'm going to tell Avery that I'm out of Slytherin”.

Cassandra stared at him with her huge blue eyes. Theo paled and flopped onto the couch next to her.

"Are you ... are you serious?" He asked with a tone that denoted the importance of his question

“Completely,” he nodded

“Is it because of Rose?” Cass asked

“In part,” admitted the blond, “But it's also because of me,” he turned to his best friend. He needed Theo to understand his reasons; he didn't want him to believe that leaving the gang was some kind of betrayal towards him, “I'm sick of it Theo. I got tired of that life, of the meetings, of the damn favors I have to do to pay for the help they gave me years ago ... I don't want to continue. I don't want to do this forever.”

Theo tilted his head and Scorpius felt Cassie's small hand gently cover his own. He once again was amazed at her touch. For some time she could not bear physical contact with anyone.

"I'm glad you made this decision," she said softly. "You deserve more; you both deserve so much more than being in a gang.”

Theo snorted and finished his beer in one gulp. He looked annoyed and for the first time and despite all the years being friends, he couldn't read his expression.

"I always knew you would be the first out," he finally said. "I knew you weren't comfortable with any of that."

Scorpius nodded and he nodded as well.

"If you want to do it, I'm with you," Theo said. "But you know it won't be easy. I can go out but ...”

"We'll talk about that later," he cut him off. He didn't want Cass to know the details of what he would have to do.

Cassandra seemed to want to ask but her parents arrived at that moment. After the greetings Aunt Tracey scolded Theo for drinking beer and there was no longer a moment to talk about it.

He could feel, however, that his friend was still worried. Hell, he was worried too. Theo could get out of the gang whenever he wanted but it wouldn't be that easy for Scorpius. He owed them money and favors… many favors that concerned Astoria above all.

"Let's get out of here," said Theo when it got dark

The boy nodded and they excused themselves to his parents and Cassie. She looked at them with concern when they left the apartment but she made no pretense of following them or added anything else. And it was better that way.

Once outside Scorpius drew a cigarette from his jacket pocket and Theo imitated his action. They walked in silence to the nearby park and sat on one of the concrete benches that were their favorites as children.

“You know they won't let you go so easily,” he said

“They will have to. After what happened yesterday the idea of staying there disgusts me”

He angrily kicked an empty bottle that someone had abandoned. It flew through the silent park until it crashed into a children's swing.

“I imagine how you feel Scorpius because I felt that way after Cassandra,” Theo's voice was filled with rage, “They got really low yesterday. We Slytherins weren't supposed to be like them, weren't supposed to hurt innocent girls”.

Theo almost spat the last sentence and Scorpius felt the anger return to him.

"I know," he admitted, "That's why I have to go out. I know ... I know these are not situations that can be compared ... Cass and Rose’s I mean ... but I can't bear the idea of staying in the gang. I must walk away or I'll end up doing something crazy.”

"Are you going to talk to Avery?"

"As soon as he came back from his fucking trip," he agreed. "I’ll tell him I’m out of this; I will do whatever it takes.”

His friend turned to him, “Yes, about that ... you know as well as I do which are the only two options to leave the gang.”

“Death or beating,” he let out

"Death or beating," Theo repeated. "And they won't make it easy for you. You owe money, a lot of money and you know you can count on me but I don't have that amount,” he cursed

"I'll find a way to raise that money," he shrugged.

“Yeah sure,” he sighed, “But anyway you have to face the beating, and that’s basically a fucking death sentence Scorpius!”

A lump formed in his throat. He knew that if he wanted to stop being a Slytherin he had to endure being beaten up by ten of the senior members. He had seen the practice and it was not pleasant at all. Many died ... and those who remained alive did not always end up whole.

“The ones they choose to do the beating part are always fucking criminals,” Theo continued

“I know”

“And still… are you sure you want to do it?” He asked

“Very sure”


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tons of fluff ahead ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Just this fanfiction.

** ROSE **

“Cassandra, are you listening to me?”

The answer was obvious though. Her friend came out of the daze she was in and seemed to realize that the redhead was trying to get her attention, "Oh Rose, I'm sorry," she sighed. "What were you saying?"

"I was complaining about Hope," she clicked her tongue in annoyance, "She was too rude to Scorpius and also she forbade me to have a boyfriend or to go out somewhere if not to work or the school, can you believe it?”

“That’s weird, it doesn't sound like her”

"Exactly," Rose agreed vehemently. "I mean, I understand that she is worried because I looked pretty beaten up after what happened at the Ball but she is exaggerating. She also said she doesn't like how I'm managing my romantic life,” she rolled her eyes, “She still thinks I had something going on with David and then she met Scorpius ... I wish I could explain everything to her but ...”

“She is better living in ignorance. Hope will be happier this way.”

She couldn't help but giggle at her friend's words. Cassie smiled too and continued unloading the dishwasher. Rose took one of the already clean ones and began to place them on the appropriate shelf.

"Anyway, this whole thing is bothering me," she continued, "Now that Scorpius and I are dating, well ... I wish I could go out with him freely. But if Hope continues with this attitude, I don't think it will be that simple. And I do not like to be fighting with my sister,” she sighed, “I'll find a way to fix this. After all, Scorpius doesn't exactly seem to be the type of guy to go out on dates”.

“He wasn't the type of guy to have a serious relationship either but he made an exception because of you,” the brunette smiled trying to increase Rose’s confidence, “Scorpius cares about you. I am sure that he will have very sweet details with you and that you guys will be able to enjoy many moments together.”

Her comment managed to make her blush as she remembered how close she had been to Scorpius that afternoon in her apartment. The sensations that the boy's physical proximity had awakened in her had been both new and exciting. What would have happened if Hope and Hugo hadn't arrived? Would she have let herself be carried away by her feelings? Honestly Rose didn't have an answer yet.

"Cassandra," she said softly. The girl turned to Rose, “Have you been…? I mean,” she cleared her throat feeling silly for being so nervous, “Have you ever been with a guy? You know ... Have you had sex with a guy before?”

Cassie's face paled completely and she instantly looked away. Rose couldn't see her expression but it was obvious that she was anxious, very anxious.

“I'm sorry, Cass, I'm sorry ... I didn't want to bother you,” the redhead rushed to say, “But hey I'm not going to judge you, there's nothing wrong if you ...”

“Rose I really don't want to talk about that,” her voice sounded weak but she recovered quickly, “Only ... if you asked me in case you don't know whether or not you should do it with Scorpius, you're the only one who has the right answer. I guess when you're ready you'll know… he's not going to pressure you, I'm sure of that because Scorpius isn't like that. And you shouldn't rush anything either, let the things follow in their own rhythm.”

She nodded, pondering her words. Cassandra was right, of course.

“We have one last client,” Cassie pointed toward the dining room where Scorpius had just entered. Rose smiled knowingly at her friend and went to him.

“I would give you the menu,” she said, “But something tells me that you are very familiar with it”

“You know I am, redhead,” he smiled at her and came over to give her a short kiss

“Scorpius, I’m working!” She replied although she didn’t leave his embrace

“I don't think my aunt and uncle will mind,” he shrugged but stepped away and made them sit at one of the tables, “I thought about stopping by to take you home and make sure you arrived safely.”

“Thank you blonde, that's very sweet of you,” she smiled when she saw his expression as she imitated the way he called her due to the color of her hair, “Who would say you were a real gentleman!”

"I'm full of surprises," he winked at her and she felt her heart race. "Come on, go get your things, I'll wait for you here."

She gave him a quick kiss before heading back to the back of the restaurant to put on her coat and take her purse.

“See you tomorrow, okay Cass?” She gave her friend a hug, “And I'm sorry about before”

“Don't worry,” she smiled, “Go and have a good time”

“I'll do that. Goodbye.”

She was almost running towards Scorpius. He took her hand and they stepped out into the cold winter wind. A gray car was parked near the entrance and Scorpius guided her toward the vehicle.

“Whose car is this?”

“Mine,” he smiled, “It's not exactly new but I restored it completely and with just a little help. I finished it yesterday and wanted to show you.”

Rose smiled at the obvious pride in his voice. He had already told her that he worked part time in a mechanical shop and from what she had heard; Scorpius liked his work and was very good at it.

“It looks amazing,” she said, “Congratulations”

He smiled sweetly at her before opening the door for the girl. Rose settled into the interior, which smelled of peppermint and cigarettes and sighed at the boy's familiar scent. When Scorpius entered he turned on the heat and she appreciated the change in temperature.

"I've been thinking," he commented once he started the car. "It would be a good idea to have mmm," he cleared his throat and glanced at her briefly. "I think it would be nice if we went on a date."

“A date?” She asked excitedly.

“Yes well ... it wouldn’t be somethings fancy but ...”

“I don’t need anything fancy,” she assured, “It is enough for me if we are together.”

Scorpius reached for her hand and squeezed it as he gave her a wide, sincere smile, “So how about tomorrow afternoon?”

“Tomorrow? But I have to job at the restaurant, remember?”

“Mmm not really, you don’t,” he smiled smugly, “One of the perks of being close to the owners is that I can ask for small favors.”

“Wait does that mean that you asked Mrs. Nott to give me a free day? Are you for real?”

“I am,” he agreed, “And she was happy to give you permission”

“I can't believe it,” she blurted out laughing, “You're crazy!”

Scorpius shrugged and parked the car in front of her building. The journey had been to her unbearably short.

“See you at the restaurant at four, okay?”

“Sure,” she nodded, “But Scorpius what should I expect from the date? Where will we go?”

“You’ll find out tomorrow”

He reached out to kiss her and she reciprocated eagerly. They hadn't had a moment of intimacy for two days since the apartment, and although they had talked at length thanks to the new phone Albus had gotten for Rose, having him this close was a thousand times better. 

The girl ran her hands over his broad shoulders and sucked on his lower lip. A gasp left his lips and she felt a wave of fire fill the low part of her stomach. A pleasant sensation spread through her body as Scorpius pulled her closer to him, but the moment ended as quickly as it began because someone knocked on the car window, causing them to separate.

Scorpius rolled his eyes, got out of the car and walked around the vehicle so he could open the door for her. Once outside Rose saw her cousin standing and leaning against the front wall of the building looking at them half annoyed and half amused.

“You know? I accepted this,” he made a circle with his hands pointing to them, “Whatever it is that you two have, but that doesn't mean that you should rub it in my face all the time.”

“We were inside my car,” Scorpius clarified

“But in front of my building,” Albus replied

“Albus, do you need something?” Asked an exasperated Rose

“Nothing,” he shrugged, “I was just passing by to ask you why you didn't call me to pick you up at the bus station but I already know why”

"Potter you don't have to worry about that anymore," Scorpius added. "I'm going to personally see to it that Rose gets home safely."

Albus looked at him warily before smiling sideways cautiously, “You should go inside now,” said her cousin looking towards Rose, “Something tells me that Hope will not be happy if you are late”

She snorted loudly. Her sister had become completely picky about her arrival schedule 

"Albus is right," sighed the girl turning to Scorpius, “See you tomorrow then?”

“Of course, redhead,” he clasped her in hers arms and whispered in her ear, “I can't wait for it to be tomorrow”

Rose kissed him ignoring the sound of annoyance her cousin made, and then hugged him tightly. The girl waited for the car to drive away before entering the building. Albus said goodbye to her and went straight to his apartment. She knew that he preferred not to see Hope as she was also acting upset with the boy. Upon entering the house she found her sister watching TV.

“Good night”, she greeted

“Hi Rose,” she nodded, “Are you hungry?”

"No, I already ate something in the restaurant," she answered. "Where is Hugo?"

“He is sleeping”

“Really, this early?”

“It's almost ten o'clock,” she raised her thin eyebrows towards her younger sister

The girl chose to ignore her tone of voice full of reproach and went straight to her room. She didn't want to fight and she definitely didn't want to deal with her right now.

Rose put on her pajamas and hugged her pillow, imagining that it was Scorpius and that she was in his arms again. She giggled at the thought of tomorrow's date and she fell asleep wondering what he might have prepared.

** *** **

The girl woke up almost at noon. After a light breakfast while watching movies with her little brother, she started preparing the lunch by following a simple recipe from the internet since Hope had gone shopping for the house. When she was ready she ate with Hugo.

“Not bad,” he commented shrugging

Her little brother helped her dry the dishes and then she let him to play freely since she only had one hour left to get ready for her date and she couldn't waste any more time.

Rose took a bath and then dried and brushed her hair until it looked silky. She then went through her closet and settled on jeans, a mustard-colored turtleneck with a matching coat, and caramel color boots. The bruises on her body were disappearing but she preferred not to risk Hope discovering them. She also felt comfortable and pretty with that outfit, so Rose applied a natural makeup on her face and then looked at her reflection in the mirror. She liked the result.

“Are you going out?”

She gave a little cry of surprise. She hadn't been aware of Hope's presence, but apparently she'd been watching her for a while from the door sill.

“I have my shift at the restaurant, remember?” Rose answered

"You don't usually dress like this to go to your job." She entered her room and sighed. "Besides, it's late. You should have arrived at the restaurant almost an hour ago.”

“Hope…”

“I just want you to be honest with me Rose, that’s all.”

"I'm going to the restaurant," she said, which wasn't a lie. "But I'll go out with Scorpius later. We have a date.”

She noticed her sister's expression twitch, “And do you have permission from your bosses? Or will you just walk out without explaining them?”

“Of course I have permission Hope, I am not that irresponsible”

“I'm just making sure,” she raised her hands and sighed, “I want you here early Rose. And this time I am serious. I'm not going to tolerate your being late again”

“You know I'm on vacation from school, right?”

“That's no excuse,” Hope looked at her harshly, “And please, don’t do anything crazy”

Her sister left her room and locked herself in her own with a slam of the door. Rose let out a squeak of frustration and restrained herself from going to see Hope and continuing the fight.

She took a deep breath, grabbed her bag, and put on a beanie before heading out into the living room. Hugo was still coloring when she found him

“See you later, my beautiful boy,” she gave him a kiss on the cheek

“You look very pretty,” he smiled at her

“Thanks Hugo”

Rose hugged him tenderly before leaving the apartment and going to the bus stop.

Her nerves grew as she reached the final stop. What would Scorpius have planned? She smirked and got off the bus. She was so distracted that she didn't notice her boyfriend's presence until he wrapped her arms around her from behind.

“Hello redhead,” he greeted speaking against her neck

“Scorpius!” She turned her to him and kissed him, “I thought we would meet at the restaurant”

“Yeah but I preferred to wait for you here because I was missing you”

Her declaration warmed her heart and she kissed him again. She loved when he was that sweet.

“Should we go now?” Rose asked with a smile

“Uhum”

They walked to his car which he had parked on a nearby street, and she appreciated the warm interior of the vehicle, “So ... where are you going to take me?”

Scorpius gave her a mysterious smile and didn’t reply. She rolled her eyes and began to hum a familiar song that was playing on the radio.

Rose didn't fully know that part of the district but she knew they were downtown. The anticipation grew as he stopped in front of...

“A fair?” She looked at him surprised

"It seemed appropriate to me." He cleared his throat and looked at her, studying her reaction. He seemed nervous, “We can go somewhere else if you prefer”

“No, no, of course not,” Rose smiled at him to give him confidence, “This place is great, I haven't been to one of these fairs for many, many years”

Scorpius gently kissed her lips before getting out and opening the door for her, “When was the last time you were at a fair?” Scorpius wanted to know as they walked hand in hand

"Probably ... ten years ago," she agreed, remembering, "I was still very little ... Dad didn't like this kind of places very much, we used to go to the Club to our usual family outings”

He nodded and then led her to one of the booths that gave away stuffed animals if you managed to hit the target with fake shotguns.

“Choose one,” Scorpius told her

“Well,” she examined the stuffed animals and smiled pointing at one, “That one, the lion.”

He smirked, paid the money to the dependent, and took the shotgun. As Rose had already imagined he had excellent aim. Scorpius managed to knock down all the bottles that had the target shooting and the dependent had no choice but to give them the stuffed animal.

"Thank you," Rose said trying not to laugh at the girl's expression. "And thanks to you too. I love my stuffed animal.”

Scorpius carried the huge stuffed animal for her and they continued walking. He started asking her different questions about her life, school and she tried to make him open up a bit more about his family life even though he didn't like to talk about it. Still the conversation continued to flow naturally.

“Should we go to the Wheel of Fortune?” Rose asked as she watched the colorful spectacle

“It would be a waste of time if we miss it,” he agreed

They formed the queue and shared a cotton candy until their turn came. They sat down in one of the spheres and Scorpius hugged her tightly as the night cold was hitting them squarely in the face.

“I know a better way to warm us,” he commented before kissing her

She laughed against his lips and was carried away by his kisses. Despite being alone at the top of the wheel for several minutes, Scorpius never tried anything else. They kissed for a long time and enjoyed the view. It was a beautiful sight and it was even more significant to her because she was there with her boyfriend.

When they got off the Wheel they got back to the car and then Scorpius took her to an Italian restaurant. The place was cozy and romantic. The food was delicious and it was the perfect culmination of a perfect date. Scorpius led her home and, like the night before, they stayed together expressing their affection. This time Rose didn't care if her sister was upset or not, so they were locked in their own world for quite a while.

“I don't want to let you go,” he whispered, “But I don't want you to have problems with Hope either”

She sighed and kissed him once more, knowing that he was right. So after another long kiss she finally got out of the car and entered the building. 

As she walked up the stairs she was feeling strangely positive. She had a good life, good friends, and a great boy by her side. Sure, Hope was being irritating but Rose knew she could always count on her and Hugo. That was more than she had imagined months ago when she just moved into the building. And everything was going to be even better once Scorpius left the gang. He had promised that to her and what could possibly go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Please leave a comment.  
> Stay healthy and safe :)


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Just this fanfiction.

  


**SCORPIUS**

From the outside the place appeared to be uninhabited, but he knew it was not the case. The house the Slytherins used as a _working center_ for the bosses was on the outskirts of the district, away from the bustle of the center and kept in perfect condition, mainly because all of them were very fond of the luxuries.

The guard stationed near the door gave him a glance as he approached but didn’t stop him from passing. After all Yaxley was waiting for him. The guy rapped on the door, and a few seconds later a petite woman in a maid's uniform opened it.

“Take him to Yaxley.”

The woman nodded obediently and led Scorpius down a wide hallway with doors on either side. He had been here only a couple of times and he remembered that Yaxley's office was the last one in the corridor. And indeed it was there that they stopped.

The boy opened the door feeling a pull in his stomach, he had never been afraid or nervous when talking with Yaxley ... although he had never discussed something this serious with him before.

“AH! There is my boy!” Yaxley said when he saw Scorpius, "Come, come boy, come closer”

Corban Yaxley was sitting behind a huge desk checking something on a computer. He stood up when he approached Scorpius and wrapped him in a hug,

“So what can I do for you Scorpius?” He asked while walking to the bar nearby to serve whiskey in two glasses. "Do you need money, a new job? Because I told you, you can quit that workshop whenever you want… Rosier and I would be more than happy to get you something that better suits your abilities.”

The man smirked at him and handed him one of the glasses. Scorpius received the drink but didn’t bring it to his lips, which didn’t go unnoticed by Yaxley.

"That’s kind of what I wanted to talk to you about," he began. Yaxley took a sip from his whiskey glass and looked into the boy’s eyes. "I don’t want to be part of the Slytherins anymore, I want out.”

Yaxley's expression remained unchanged although his grip on his glass tightened, “Is this because of that girl?” He wanted to know, “Because it would be very disappointing if _that_ was the reason”

“Don't get her into this,” he replied with hard voice

Yaxley laughed and finished his drink.

“You are a very valuable member to us Scorpius, aren't we rewarding you well enough?”

“It has nothing to do with that”

“Then what is it? You owe us a lot, I'm sure you know that.”

“I'm going to pay the money I owe,” he clenched his jaw and glared at the man, “And I know you’ve done me favors more than once. I am aware of what I owe to the Slytherins but I am done with this business. I want to get out of the gang.”

Yaxley nodded, pondering his words and then went back to his desk and looked at his computer.

“Ten thousand pounds,” he said, “Your debt with Slytherin is ten thousand pounds”

“Ten thousand?” Anger boiled in his blood and he had to control himself not to scream and throw the glass of whiskey against the wall. They didn't lend him more than three thousand to pay for what Astoria broke during her last crisis.

“We have to consider the interests, of course,” he smiled, “That wouldn't be necessary if you were still a Slytherin but since you want to go out ...”

He could hear the mockery in the voice of who he once considered a friend, but he forced himself to weigh on Rose so as not to smash his face. Besides he was expecting something like this, he knew they weren't going to let him out so easily.

"Then I'll give you the ten thousand pounds," he spat. "And that's it."

"That's only a part." Yaxley got back to his feet and poured himself another whiskey. "I still have to talk to Rosier to determine hmmm… what we could call the last favor you have to do for us."

“Last favor,” he grunted, “Is that how you call to the fact that you’re men will try to beat me to death? I've already seen how it works”

“Scorpius… we wouldn't do that to you. You know you are like a son to me.”

“A son, sure,” he snorted

“I have to attend to some things now. I'll let you know when we decide about this favor”

Yaxley didn't say more but his curt tone was enough to let him know that it was better to go out than to continue the discussion. Scorpius left the room and headed for the front door without waiting for anyone to guide him. The guard followed him with his eyes until he turned the street and got into his car.

The boy exhaled hard once he was alone and drove home. The sense of relief he had hoped to have after the meeting was not there. What would they ask for him to do? Nothing simple, of that he was sure.

He parked the car in the building and then went into his apartment. Everything was quiet so he imagined that Astoria was sleeping as she would have a shift in the department store later that afternoon. Scorpius went to her room to check on her and found her curled up on the bed and shivering with cold. She was still wearing the short dress that she used the night before, probably from having passed out after getting drunk.

He sighed in pity and frustration and covered her with a couple of blankets. She seemed to feel the change in temperature as she stopped shivering and seemed calmer. The boy looked at her one more time before heading to the kitchen to prepare something to eat because he was sure her mother would be hungry once she got up.

When he was done with that he went to his room and put the lock on the door. His closet had loose wooden boards inside were he kept a box with money he had saved for emergencies. He carefully pulled out the box and counted the cash, four thousand pounds. It was almost half of what he owed the Slytherins… and it was all the money he had. He closed the box angrily and started pacing back and forth across his room. He knew there was no use in getting angry but he couldn't help it.

After a while he calmed down and sat on his bed. He had to think. What options did he have? Maybe Theo could lend him some money and then he could ask his boss on the workshop to help him ... the boss was a good man, honest, and he had always hated that Scorpius was involved in the gang and used to tell him that he would help him if necessary. Maybe with his help he could top up the money and even save a little in case Astoria caused another disaster.

He lit a cigarette and then opened the window to feel the icy December wind as well; the remnants of the previous night's snow were melting into dirty puddles, the houses were showing Christmas decorations. The holidays weren’t a particularly happy time for him, although that had changed in the last few years since he accepted the invitations from the Nott to join their Christmas dinners.

Scorpius stubbed out his cigarette and climbed the fire escape into Theo's room. He smoothly opened the window and entered, though it was not Theo that he found but Cassandra. She smiled at him before rolling her eyes and continuing vacuuming.

“Are you cleaning your brother's room?” He asked mockingly as he sat on the couch

“Good afternoon Scorpius, I'm feeling fine this afternoon,” she turned off the vacuum cleaner and wrapped the cord around the handle, “We have a door, you know?”

"I prefer to come in this way," he shrugged. "So what are you doing?"

"Theo is going to pay me to clean." She also shrugged and began to sort clothes from Theo's closet. "Mom has been bothering him a lot the last few days because of the state of his room so I offered my services."

Scorpius laughed at her explanation and took out another cigarette, offering one to Cass even though he already knew the girl's answer. She shook her head and went with the clothes.

“A penny for your thoughts,” she said suddenly

“What?”

“Well, what I just said,” Cass sighed, “You seem very distracted and I wanted to know what you were thinking.”

“Ah, it's nothing. Just the usual shit with Astoria”

“Ok, right,” she nodded unconvinced, “If it was something concerning the Slytherins you would tell me, right?”

“Of course, you're my best friend” _But you're also Rose's best friend_ , he thought, so he wasn't going to tell her anything about his conversation with Yaxley, “Ah! There is Teddy!”

Theo, who had just walked through the door of his room, flopped down on his bed with a thud.

“Hey! I’ve just put clean sheets,” his sister complained

"I don't care, Cassandra," he growled. "Hell, I swear I'll quit the team one of these days. The coach thinks he can treat us like animals just because we don't have to work on the homework the other teachers assigned us for the winter break.”

Scorpius laughed mockingly and he showed him the middle finger. He knew that his threats to quit the team were in vain. Theo loved playing basketball and was hoping for a sports scholarship, although he wouldn’t admit that out loud.

“Let your sister do her job and move your ass. I need to talk to you.”

His tone of voice must have caught his attention because he immediately went on alert as he rose to his feet.

He followed Theo and noticed that the living room was already entirely probably the work of Cassandra. They crossed the front door into the corridor and entered a small room that functioned as storage. No one was going to listen to them there.

“Did you talk to Yaxley?”

“Yeah, I went there this morning,” Scorpius agreed, “They’re going to collect the monetary debt I have with them, ten thousand pounds.”

“Ten?” He gasped, “But I’m sure it wasn’t more than…”

“Three, I know. I knew they would charge me with interest but I didn't expect it to be that high.”

“What can we do?”

“I have four thousand and… I was hoping you could lend me something,” Scorpius felt his face blush and he lowered his gaze but then he faced his friend again, “I know it's money you save for college and I wouldn't ask you for anything less important.”

“I know that Scorpius, you don't have to justify yourself to me,” he smiled and nodded, “I have close to two thousand because I haven’t yet spent the bonus they gave me for winning the regional championship last season. I will give them to you.”

“Thank you brother,” Scorpius patted him on the shoulder and Theo melted him into a quick hug before pulling away from him, “I'll return them to you as quickly as possible. I swear.”

“Don’t worry about it. I'm going to get that damn scholarship, just wait and see,” he smiled confidently, “What will you do to get the rest?”

“I will ask the boss, I hope he can help me”

Theo nodded and then looked at him grimly, “Wait, Yaxley just asked you to cancel your debt? Won't you go through the exit ritual?”

“No, it seems not. According to Yaxley I am like a son to him and he would never make me go through that,” he growled, “Although they did put another condition.”

“What did they ask for?” He wanted to know

“I don’t know yet. They agreed to let me know about the last favor I'm going to do them. It sure it would be some illegal shit.”

“That's for sure,” Theo sighed, “So we just have to wait?”

“Yup,” he nodded heavily

Theo took out a cigarette and handed him one. They left the room and smoked in the quiet hall without saying anything.

"We'd better go inside," Theo said. "I have to shower before going to the restaurant. Dad wants me to help out there now that I'm on vacation.”

“I wasn't going to mention anything you know? But you smell like hell,” commented

His best friend giggled before giving him a light tap on the shoulder, "I swear they'll finish me off at this rate," he sighed as they walked back to his house.

Scorpius had lunch with Theo and Cassandra and then the siblings went to the restaurant. The blonde preferred to go home first and take a bath. Astoria was still asleep so he only left a few bills for her on her nightstand as she had mentioned to him that she was running out of cash.

Before leaving home he put on a black coat and then drove to the restaurant. He knew that Rose's shift had already started so he sat down at one of the tables and enjoyed her expression of joy and surprise at seeing him there.

He couldn't get close though because there were so many customers in the place, so he waited for her until she had a moment of rest.

"Hello redhead," he greeted with a smile but without trying to kiss her. He knew that she didn’t like such physical displays in her work place.

“Hi blond,” she smiled too before sighing, “I'm exhausted”

“I imagine. I saw you go from one place to another the last hour," he agreed "Do you want me to scare away some customers?”

“No thanks, I want to keep my job,” she giggled, “Will you stay until my shift is over?”

“You know that I will”

Rose smiled at him and then went back to attend costumers. Scorpius lingered by talking to Theo at the cash register until Rose's shift was over and it was time to take her home.

Once they were out of the restaurant he kissed her and hugged her and she responded effusively. They spent a long time like this until the cold forced them to get into the car.

“Ah! This is so much better!” Rose said placing her hands near the radiator of the car

He smiled at her before starting off the car

“So,” she looked at him, “Mrs. Tracey won't open the restaurant until after Christmas and tomorrow will be my last shift until the 26th.”

“That's good, you could use a break”

"Yeah sure" she sighed "But Hope won't let me go out much. She too has days off and insists in the three of us be together all the time. She wants to decorate the house before Christmas and she wants us to go pick a tree and all that”

“I thought you liked Christmas,” he commented confused

“I love it,” she accepted, “But it’s the 23th. Tomorrow the market and the shopping centers will be total chaos. And besides, Hope just does this to keep annoying me.”

“Hmm, don't you think maybe you're being unfair to her?”

“No,” she snorted, “Hope wants me to tell her what really happened at the Ball ... but if I do she will go crazy and she would probably insist in moving to a different city.”

Scorpius giggled and she smiled too. He parked the car in her building and pulled her to his chest.

"We'll find a moment to be together," he said. "I'll also take advantage of these days to work in the workshop. There is always a lot to do around this time. Snow causes many problems.”

Rose nodded and kissed him.

“I must tell you something,” he said cutting off the hug

“What is it?”

“I spoke with ... the Slytherin bosses today,” he could see that Rose tensed and looked at him seriously, “They agreed to let me out of the gang. They said that I only have to pay the money I owe them and that's it.”

She gasped between relieved and amazed, “Really? I thought they would make it difficult or ... I don't know”

“Yes well ... they said that I wasn’t useful anymore so they’re fine with letting me go”

“That's great! Oh Scorpius, I'm so glad!” Rose screamed hugging him tightly

The vanilla scent of her washed over him and the look of hope on her face made him feel bad for not being totally honest with her, but he was doing it for a good reason. He didn't want her to worry about things she could do nothing about. And most of all he didn't want her involved in gang affairs, ever again.

“Yes, me too,” he smiled and kissed her, “And from now on will be able to be together without restrictions and we can walk anywhere in the city”

"That's all I want!" She sighed and lay down on his chest

His breathing matched hers and he caressed her hair, cradling her. He was doing the right thing. He was protecting her and that was all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are always welcome...


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Just this fanfiction.

** SCORPIUS **

The boss yelled his name and he hurried out from under the car he was fixing.

“Scorpius boy, come here,” the man repeated gesturing with his arm

He walked over to the small room used as an office. The boss was huddled behind his desk so Scorpius sat on a small bench while cleaning his hands with a cloth.

“I have what you asked me,” the man took a white envelope from his drawer and handed it to him

“Thank you, boss, I really appreciate it,” Scorpius said, taking the envelope that he knew contained the loan he had asked for, “I will pay you as soon as I can.”

“I already told you that we can deduct it from your salary,” he shrugged and then looked at the boy with a serious frown, "Now ... I know it's not my business and I'm not going to ask you to tell me why you need the money, but I'm going to tell you that I hope it's not for some shit related to that gang.”

Scorpius smirked at his tone. The boss seemed to be surly and grumpy but he was a good person.

“It is for a gang business,” the boy admitted, “But it's not what you're thinking, actually I'm going to leave the Slytherins but first I have to pay them money that I owe.”

“Are you serious about leaving the gang?”

“I am, in a way I already did,” Scorpius nodded, “I don't want to be involved in that shit anymore. I want to be on the right track now.”

The man gave him a real smile, stood up and walked over to awkwardly pat him on the back. The boy couldn't help but smile at the gesture.

“It's one of the best decisions you've ever made”

“I know”

The boss nodded and reopened one of his drawers to take out a plastic container that appeared to be full with muffins. Scorpius looked at him with amusement but he ignored him and handed him the container.

"My wife has been very fond of baking lately," he sighed. "She's not so bad. Come on, take one, you've been working tirelessly these last couple of days.”

He took one that had a green frosting before taking a suspicious bite. It turned out to taste pretty good. 

“It tastes good,” he commented swallowing it completely

“Take as much as you want. I'm sick of the damn muffins.”

Scorpius nodded before taking a chocolate one. 

“Have you thought what you will do now that is your last year on school?”

“I have nothing decided yet,” he shrugged, “I guess I'll keep working and save some money ... maybe… maybe I can even start college.”

“That sounds good,” the boss nodded, “You have a talent for this. Have you considered mechanic engineering as an option?”

He nodded at the question but honestly, he hadn't considered anything yet. Although he had grown tired of the gang a long time ago, he had never really thought about going out. Not until Rose. And now that he was in a relationship with her, he wanted to be better for her. He wanted to be worth of her. 

"You still have a few months to consider it," sighed the boss. "But don't miss the opportunities, Scorpius."

“Thanks boss, for everything.”

The man smiled at him and then, after a few minutes of chatting about their favorite soccer teams, Scorpius returned to work and continued to fix the car until it got dark.

He left once the workshop was closed and headed to the apartment. Astoria was still at work, so he took the opportunity to sore the envelope containing the money along with his saves and Theo’s loan. Then he took a bath and went to see Rose, as the restaurant was open again now that the holidays were over.

He entered the place when the last customers were leaving. Rose gave him a huge smile and almost ran towards him. Scorpius opened his arms to her and cradled her into his chest as he buried his face in her fire-red hair.

“Merry Christmas!” She laughed before giving him a short kiss. They hadn't seen each other since before Christmas and now that she was close to him again, Scorpius realized how much he had missed her.

“Get a room you two,” Theo bet from the cash register

"Shut your mouth," Scorpius growled, knowing those comments were embarrassing Rose. "Are you ready to go?"

"Actually…" she looked back, "I still need to help Cassie. Can you wait a little longer?”

“Rose, it’s ok, I can finish here,” said Cass, who had been cleaning a nearby table

“Are you sure? We still have a lot to do and…”

“It’s fine, besides Theo is going to help me”

Theo gave an audible snort of annoyance.

“Great then,” Scorpius smiled at his girlfriend and his best friend, “Let's go Rose”

Rose said goodbye to Cassie and Theo and pulled on her coat, hat and gloves. He walked over to take her hand and they left the restaurant.

Once in the car she leaned closer to him. Scorpius kissed her passionately trying to make her understand how much he had missed her. He bit her lower lip gently and Rose gasped against his mouth, causing his desire to turn physical.

But it wasn't the time or the place so he forced himself to calm down, and begun caress her soft face.

“I have something for you” he said

“What is it?” She looked at her boyfriend, feeling very curious

“Wait and see”. He reached out to open the glove and take out a medium size black velvet box, “Merry Christmas redhead,” he smiled while giving her the present.

Rose looked at him before taking the box and opening it. Scorpius focused on her expression as he wanted to know if he had chosen well and, from her gasp of surprise and subsequent smile, he knew she had liked her choice.

“Scorpius… it's beautiful!” Rose took out of the box the golden necklace with a heart charm

“I'm glad you liked it,” he admitted

“I love it,” she gave him a quick kiss, “Can you put it on me?”

He nodded and Rose settled in with her back to him. Scorpius pulled her hair back placing it towards her shoulder, and looped the fine chain around her neck. He had liked the pendant for it had a small bright red stone that was the exact shade of Rose's hair.

“It reminds me of you, beautiful, delicate, elegant ... attractive in every way.”

She smiled at him and looked down at the pendant that now rested on her chest. "Thanks Scorpius, I adored it" she sighed. "The truth is that I also bought something for you."

He raised one of his eyebrows and smiled at her. He knew she would probably have a gesture like that and it was part of what encouraged him to, for the first time in his life, look for a Christmas present for someone.

Rose reached into her purse and carefully took out a package. She looked nervous as she handed it to the boy. When he took it in his hands he noticed that it a bit heavy. 

“Come on, open it”

He giggled before ripping the bow and the  wrapping paper. Inside were two objects: one appeared to be a picture frame and the other something metallic.

"It's a cigarette case," she explained. "I know you like to smoke from time to time so… it also has a scorpion engraved on it. It seemed adequate to me.”

She blushed at her explanation so he hurried to kiss her, “I like it very much redhead. It is the most beautiful detail that someone has had with me.”

“Really?”

“Of course,” he nodded, “And what is this?”

“Oh that,” Rose seemed to be nervous again, “That's actually ... something that I thought it could be nice for you to have on your room, something of us both.”

He took out the picture frame and realized that it had a photo that they had taken at the Fair, during their first date. Rose appeared smiling next to Scorpius, hugging the stuffed animal that he had won for her.

“Is it too early for this? I understand if you don’t ...”

“No, no, it's great,” he assured her, “I'll put it on my nightstand this very night.”

Rose bit her bottom lip before sighing in relief and throwing herself into her boyfriend’s arms. They kissed for a long time until they decided to stop by at a cafeteria to get hot drinks for both of them.

“How was your Christmas?” She wanted to know 

"Pretty straightforward," he shrugged, "Astoria went out with some of her friends and I hung out at Theo's house. The turkey was delicious,” she smiled at his last comment, “What about yours? Everything went well?”

"It was very nostalgic, actually," she sighed. "First Christmas without our parents, although Hope tried to keep us all entertained. I think it helped that we were with Aunt Ginny and my cousins… Hugo was a bit sad on Christmas morning because Mom used to help him open his presents but we comforted him the best we could.”

“Hugo is lucky to have you both, and he’s still young, I’m sure the sadness will soon pass”

“I know,” Rose sighed sadly but she shook her head and smiled again, “We'll be fine. Time is going to help, that's what Aunt Gin keeps telling us. And I think I'm beginning to agree with her”

The boy hugged her and buried his nose in her neck, giving her little kisses and enjoying the way she shuddered against her body.

“Scorpius… it's… it's quite late,” she sighed, “I think I should go home”

He growled in disapproval but he knew she was right. He kissed her one last time before they returned to the car and headed to her building.

“Till tomorrow redhead”

“Good night Scorp,” she gave me a short kiss

He winked at her as she pulled away from him; he waited for her to be safely behind the building’s gates before getting back in the car and heading home.

Once in his bedroom he placed the picture frame on the nightstand, as he told Rose he would do, and smiled remembering their date. He texted his redhead to say good night once again, and the fell immediately asleep.

** *** **

The next morning he was awakened by a burning smell. Scorpius followed the direction the smell was coming from and ran into Astoria, who was clumsily trying to put out the fire in one of the burners with a tablecloth. Annoyed he filled a bucket with water and poured it over the pan in which she had been cooking. The fire went out immediately.

“Oh no Scorpius!” She complained, “I was frying some eggs!”

“You were setting the apartment on fire,” he corrected

She clicked her tongue and dropped into one of the chairs.

“I wanted to prepare breakfast for you,” she said

"Well, unless you learn to do it right, I'd rather you don't." Astoria winced and he felt bad for his comment, so he cleared his throat and then sighed, “I'm sorry mom, just… do you want me to teach you how to do it? You can help me if you want”

"Believe it or not," Astoria replied, taking a cigarette out of her jacket and lighting it, "There was a time when I was a great cook, I’m just a bit… rusty.”

Scorpius nodded. If there was a time when she cooked, he certainly never experienced it or did not remember it. 

“Okay, fine, so you want to help me?”

"Better not darling, you're better than me anyway", she sighed and then stood up. "I'll go take a bath. Be a good boy and prepare something for me, okay? Today I have a double shift.”

He ended up nodding and letting her go because he didn't want to argue. He very much doubted she had a double shift. Astoria always avoided hard work as much as possible.

Scorpius cleaned up the mess and made pancakes and toast. He left everything ready for her before taking a shower and heading to work. The day had started poorly but he couldn’t help a smile after looking at the photo of the nightstand.

Once he was ready he grabbed the keys and the phone and walked to work as it was only a few blocks away. He was about to enter the workshop when his phone started ringing. The number was unknown and he was tempted not to answer, but in the end he took the call.

“Who is this?”

“Be at the operations center in fifteen minutes. Don’t be late.”

The call ended but he had recognized Avery’s voice.

Scorpius cursed and called the boss to inform him that something important had come up, and then headed straight to the operations center, which was actually the building where he used to meet the others Slytherins. 

Once in front of the building he stopped short. The nerves began to arise inside of him, what were they going to demand? Was he supposed to do it today? He clenched his hands and took a deep breath before entering.

The building was dark but he moved down the corridor toward the space full of furniture they used to celebrate parties. The smell of cigarettes mixed with disinfectant hit him squarely in the face and he winced.

“Mason” He called 

A noise behind him made him turn around. Mason and a guy he had never seen before came into the room and approached him.

“Why did you want me here?” Scorpius inquired

“Oh, straight to the point as always!” Mason smirked at him and sat down on one of the sofas, “Well Scorpius ... it's time to collect that last favor.”

The boy glared at him, “What do I need to do?”

Mason looked at his partner, who had remained silent and they shared a knowing look.

“It's actually something very simple; you only have to make a delivery”

“A delivery?”

“You know, transport a package for us”

“A package containing drugs?”

"Maybe" he shrugged. "But that's none of your business. You just have to take the package to a park in South Avenue and that's it.”

“But that's Gryffindor territory”

“We are trying to expand our business,” Mason smiled, “We have new merchandise and there are many customers in that part of the city. So you will pick up the package that he, Amycus,” he pointed to the man next to him, “will give you and then you will take it to our contact in the south zone. That's all.”

“That’s bullshit,” he blurted out; “The Gryffindor’s can kill me if they find me delivering drugs in their territory.”

“Well, Scorpius is a risk you have to take if you want to get out of our business. It was your decision ... and you seemed quite willing to get out of the gang a few days ago.”

_ That was when they hadn't given me a near-suicidal mission _ , he said to himself, but ended up nodding.

“Then I will send you a message with the place and time where you will pick up the package. And hey Scorpius,” he looked the boy straight in the eye, “You better go alone, _friends_ are not allowed”

“Got it,” he mumbled

Without waiting for Avery to say anything else, he turned his back on him and left the building. Instead of going to the workshop he went home and got in his car. Driving used to relax him, so he headed to the outskirts of the district where traffic was almost non-existent and he could increase the speed and clear his mind.

He was feeling furious so he hit the wheel of the car and took out the frustration until his knuckles started bleeding. 

Although Scorpius had imagined that he would have to do something dangerous, he wasn’t expecting to act in enemy territory. The Gryffindors were known to be very violent ... many of the confrontations and shootings that took place in their territory were for things not as important as drug sales. What would they do to him if they caught him in there?

Scorpius thought about asking Potter for help ... he would probably have a contact or a way to decrease the risk of being caught ... but he knew inside of him that it was not an option. This was something he had to do alone, because if something did go wrong, he didn't want to have to deal with the guilt of putting someone else in danger.

His phone started ringing and he thought it could be Mason sending the specifics of his _mission_ but it was actually Theo.

“Where are you?” He asked as soon as Scorpius answered

“Did something happen?” He asked at the same time

“No, no, just that we waited for you to have lunch together and you never arrived. Are you still in the workshop?”

“Not really,” he sighed, “Listen, I must talk to you. Where are you now?”

“In the restaurant, but I can go out if you want to talk in private”

As always he had noticed in his voice that something was wrong.

“Let's meet in the park near the restaurant. I'll be there in twenty minutes.”

He ended the call and drove to the park as fast as he could but the afternoon traffic had intensified, so Theo was already there by the time Scorpius got there.

“I guess Yaxley contacted you,” said Theo

He nodded and explained what they had asked him to do.

“Damn it,” hissed Nott, “I'm going with you”

“No,” Scorpius answered immediately

“I will go. I'll be near the park in case something goes wrong; I won't let you do this alone”

“No Theo, you're not going to be part of this,” he looked into his eyes and spoke with his hardest voice, “This is something I have to do alone.”

“You don't give me orders anymore, you know?”

Scorpius mumbled a curse. He knew Theo would do what he wanted and that concerned him, “Please Theo, I couldn't keep you away from this when we were kids, because of me you met Yaxley and the others… so listen to me now. Stay out of this”, he wanted to reply so Scorpius cut him off, “Please. I need you with Rose. Protect her.”

“No one's going to mess with her Scorpius”

“We don't know that”

Theo seemed to ponder his words, but he ended up nodding, “But you'll call me if something, anything , seems off, right ?”

“I will do that. I promise.”

Theo reached out his arm to mine and he did the same, bringing them together. They used to seal our promises like this and Scorpius felt terrible because he knew he wasn't going to ask his best friend for help if something went wrong. But he knew he was doing the right thing.

They stood in park, side by side and in silence, until the silence was broken by the sound of a message on his phone. He looked at his friend who nodded. Scorpius unlocked the screen and read the short message from the unknown number.

_ Hamilton Terrace 1125. 8 PM. Go alone. _

“Hamilton Terrace?” Theo was surprised, “That is a residential area”

“Hmm… Avery mentioned they were expanding the business, maybe they found a rich partner. Who the hell knows.”

Theo nodded and he put the phone back in the pocket. He had less than an hour to go to the address.

"Are you going home to ... get ready or shit like that?"

“No,” he replied, “I want to go to the restaurant. I want to see Rose.”

He drove to the restaurant parking lot and they got out of the car.

“You can keep it if something happens to me,” Scorpius said to Theo, trying to lighten the mood

“Stop saying stupid things,” he replied giving him a look of annoyance

He smiled at his response and walked into the restaurant. Rose was on her back cleaning and luckily there were no customers, so he walked over to her and hugged her, taking her by surprise.

“Scorpius you scared me!” She blurted out, although she offered him a smile

He hugged her tighter and turned her to kiss her. It was a long kiss, one that he wanted to record in his memory so that it would help him with what he had to do shortly.

“Is everything okay?” She asked when they separated due to lack of air

“Of course, I just missed you,” Scorpius smiled and caressed her cheek, “You look very beautiful tonight”

Rose blushed but he kissed her again.

“I put our photo on the nightstand. Today I saw it when I woke up and my mood improved instantly”

“Really?” She sighed, “God, I was so scared that you thought it was too cheesy,” they both laughed

“I love it” he replied 

He ran a hand through her long hair, tangling his finger in one of her strands and noticing that she was wearing the necklace he had gave her.

"I also loved my gift," she said with a shrug.

“Listen,” he said, “I know we were supposed to see each other tonight but something came up ... and I have to take care of that.”

“Is it something serious? Can I help?”

“No, it's nothing serious,” he lied, “But it will probably take longer than planned and that's why I preferred to tell you now. I didn't want you to think that I stood you up or didn’t want to see you”

“Oh I get it,” Rose nodded and smiled at her boyfriend, “Well ... you will let me know if I can be helpful, right?”

“Of course I will. Thanks for understanding.”

“You are leaving now?” She asked somewhat disappointed

“Yes, yes ... I better go now,” he sighed, “I’ll be thinking of you, redhead. Have that in mind.”

Rose nodded and he smiled at her before leaving the restaurant. Theo, who seemed to have been aware of his movements, was by his side instantly.

“You’re taking your car, right?”

“Yeah, the place is too far for me to walk there”

_ And I can also run away more easily with a car if I have to _ ” he thought. 

“You sure you don't want me to go?” asked Theo again

“Very sure”

His friend came over and they shook arms again. Then Theo nodded and Scorpius did the same before getting in the car.

Trying to put the fear out of his mind, he focused on avoiding the busiest streets. Once he got out of downtown, he took the detour into the residential area where Hamilton Terrace was located.

As the streets went by, each house grew larger and more luxurious than the other, but they didn't seem to be inhabited by anyone. What the hell were the Slytherins doing here? What businesses did they have in this part of town? Scorpius moved forward following the direction of the GPS and ended up stopping at a huge two-story house with a large garden. There were no other parked cars or security personnel.

He got out of the car and walked to the door but someone appeared from the shadows. It was the man Mason had introduced me him, Amycus.

“Let's go to the garage,” he said

Scorpius followed him into the garage. Amycus knocked on a door three times and someone else opened it.

“Here you are, dear Scorpius”

The voice came from Yaxley and not Avery. He appeared in the other end of the room, the room had just a small table with a briefcase on it.

“Is that the thing I have to deliver?” He wanted to know

"Indeed," Yaxley nodded. "Come on, come over and get it."

He strode over to the briefcase and took it. It wasn't heavy but it had a foul odor.

“No, no, no, Scorpius. You have to open it,” Yaxley had approached him, “Come on, open it. You must know what it contains.”

He looked at the man, unsure if he should do it, but he nodded encouragingly.

“Open it Scorpius”

With his heart beating violently, he put the briefcase back on the table, lifted the latches at the ends, and opened it. Immediately the smell intensified and he knew why. The briefcase did not contain drugs or money or any chemicals. It contained several dead rats.

“What the hell is this?”

"That's what you are Scorpius" Yaxley put an arm around his shoulders, "A fucking traitorous rat ... soon to be dead."

He didn't notice the moment his former mentor pulled a knife out of his jacket, Scorpius just saw the blade coming and hurried to move to the other side. He had always been agile and that helped, although he felt the blade of the knife brush against his side.

"You won't get away Scorpius!"

Yaxley let out an insane laugh and snatched up the gun again, so the boy hurried to the door. He had to escape.

Only he hadn't counted on Amycus ... or the other six men who suddenly appeared, closed the door and imprisoned him without problems.

"Oh, dear Scorpius,” Yaxley approached him making movements with his knife, “It saddens me to do this, it really saddens me ... but there is no other option.”

“Let me go,” he struggled in vain, “We had an agreement!”

He snorted, “Agreement? Did you really think we would let you go so easily? After all these years? Come on Scorpius ... you should know that there is no other way out than death.”

“What about the exit ritual? I offered to do it,” he spat

“Meh ... that's such an old fashioned ritual,” he made a dismissive gesture with his hand and laughed again, “Besides, you were a child of the Slytherins. We saw you grow Scorpius, we gave you opportunities and you pay us like that?”

Yaxley signaled to the men holding him, who released the boy to surround him as a group.

“Begin,” he ordered

The men immediately came up to Scorpius and started beating him. He tried to defend his body as best as he could, he tried to stop the blows but there were too many. He felt them hitting him on his back, stomach and face for what seemed like hours but Scorpius knew they were actually holding back. They were going to kill him slowly.

" _Rose. You're going to lose Rose"_ the thought suddenly popped into his head and somehow gave him the strength to start defending himself. He focused on the redhead's smile and prepared to attack. They were big and strong, yes, but they were slow. He was much more agile.

He managed to punch them a few times until one of them hit his leg and he immediately fell. Scorpius tried to stand up but they kicked him out and he preferred to cover his face and head.

"Enough," Yaxley ordered, and the men stopped instantly.

He saw Mason signaling to his men again. Two of them stood him up and dragged him into a chair. A third one tied his legs with ropes and the others held his arms.

“As I said before, this saddens me boy ... but it must be done”

Yaxley walked over to where he was and squatted in front of him. Then he brought his knife to his hand and took Scorpius little finger. He knew what was to come. He had seen it many times and imagined that it must hurt like shit ... but he wasn't going to give him the pleasure of screaming.

Yaxley placed the blade under his nail ... and began to lift it. A terrible twinge ran through his body and he bit hard his tongue to suppress the cry. The metallic taste of blood in his mouth did not take long to appear.

“We have a brave man!” Yaxley scoffed, “Let's see if he’s still so valiant once I start mutilating other parts of his body”

The men laughed and Mason continued to lift the nail until it gave way.Scorpius couldn't help but make a pitiful moan and elicit more laughter from them.

He let out a string of expletives, then cursed them in a thousand ways but Yaxley ignored him and ripped the fabric of his pants with his knife. Scorpius looked down, scared, and saw that the man had exposed his thigh.

"With the proper knowledge," Yaxley said calmly, "a lot of pain can be inflicted in this area, you know Scorpius? No, you probably don't know,” he sighed, “I would have liked to have you as an apprentice but I suppose you will only serve as another practice object.”

The pain the boy felt when he sliced  through his thigh almost made him pass out from the pain. Yaxley smirked and squeezed the cut with his finger, before making another one. Scorpius couldn't help screaming and felt the tears fall down his face. Shame, fear, and anger flooded his body and there was nothing he could do.

“I like that, that's better,” Yaxley said with satisfaction

Yaxley cut again and he screamed as loud as he could. He repeated the action several times and with each one he felt his force abandon him. When was the man going to stop? He wanted it to stop. He wanted it to stop hurting.

At some point he must have passed out because when he woke up he had several other cuts.

“Welcome back,” Yaxley said

“Your damn son of a bitch,” he blurted out and spat in his face

One of the men holding him punched him in the jaw so hard that his vision blurred. And it probably caused him to hallucinate because he was suddenly hearing Rose and Theo's voice.

“Mmm I think we have company,” Yaxley said then, smiling maliciously and wiping his face, “This is going to be so interesting.”


End file.
